Daily Report Friday, 26 October 2018 CONTENTS · 2018-10-26 · Daily Report Friday, 26 October...

Daily Report Friday, 26 October 2018

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 26 October 2018 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (04:48 P.M., 26 October 2018). For the latest

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

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

CONTENTS

ANSWERS 5

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 5

Carbon Budgets: Climate

Change 5

Cavity Insulation Guarantee

Agency: Appeals 5

Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy:

Contracts 6

Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy:

Public Expenditure 6

Electricity Generation 7

Fracking: Finance 8

Fuel Oil and Liquefied

Petroleum Gas: Private

Rented Housing 8

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs 8

CABINET OFFICE 9

Hodgkin Lymphoma 9

Part-time Employment 9

DEFENCE 9

Armed Forces: Brecon

Beacons 9

Armed Forces: Deployment 10

Armed Forces: Weather 10

Navy: Arctic 11

Reserve Forces: Surveys 11

Trident Submarines:

Contingency Reserve 12

USA: INF Treaty 13

Water-cooled Reactors:

Testing 13

EDUCATION 14

Apprentices 14

Apprentices: Wolverhampton

North East 14

Children: Day Care 14

Education 15

Higher Education: Young

People 16

IGCSE 16

Pupils: Cerebral Palsy 17

Regional Schools

Commissioners 18

School Day 19

Special Educational Needs:

Finance 19

Students: Loans 21

Teachers: Recruitment 21

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 22

Agriculture: Young People 22

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease

Control 22

Fisheries 23

Horses: Animal Welfare 23

Immigration: Departmental

Coordination 23

Recycling 24

Schools: Nutrition 24

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 24

Brexit 24

Conditions of Employment 25

Health Services: Social

Services 25

UK Trade with EU 25

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 26

Bangladesh: Demonstrations 26

Bangladesh: Elections 26

Bangladesh: War Crimes 27

Burma: Human Rights 27

Burma: Peace Negotiations 28

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office: Universal Credit 28

Jamal Khashoggi 28

Members: Correspondence 29

Religious Freedom 30

Sahel: Terrorism 30

Saudi Arabia: Conferences 31

Saudi Arabia: Textbooks 31

South Sudan: Courts 32

Tibet: Human Rights 32

USA: INF Treaty 32

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 33

Allergies: Medical Equipment 33

Asthma 33

Cervical Cancer: Screening 34

Department of Health and

Social Care: Institute of

Economic Affairs 34

Department of Health and

Social Care: Public

Expenditure 34

Diabetes: Eating Disorders 35

Doctors: Training 35

Health Professions 35

Infectious Diseases: Diagnosis 36

Learning Disability: Training 36

Mental Health Services:

Children and Young People 37

Mental Illness: Cumbria 37

NHS: Innovation 37

Pathology 38

Prescriptions 38

Proof of Identity: Oldham 38

Rehabilitation Centres:

Location 38

Sanitary Protection 39

Stem Cells: Donors 39

HOME OFFICE 40

Asylum 40

Asylum: Greater London 40

Asylum: Housing 41

Borders: France 42

Fire and Rescue Services and

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles 43

Fraud 43

Fraud: Internet 43

Hate Crime: Internet 44

Human Trafficking: Standards 44

Human Trafficking:

Undocumented Workers 45

Human Trafficking: Victims 45

Knives: Crime 46

Migrant Workers 46

National Police Air Service 47

Police Service of Northern

Ireland: Staff 47

Police: Misconduct 47

Psychoactive Substances Act

2016 48

Refugees: Greater London 48

UK Border Force: Staff 49

UK Visas and Immigration 49

UK Visas and Immigration:

Stoke on Trent 50

Visas: Overseas Students 50

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 51

Antisocial Behaviour: Cars 51

Estate Agents: Disclosure of

Information 52

Hospitals: Insulation 52

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 53

Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid 53

Developing Countries: Climate

Change 53

Ethiopia: Poliomyelitis 54

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 54

UK Export Finance 54

JUSTICE 55

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions 55

Antisocial Behaviour: Wales 56

Berwyn Prison 56

Berwyn Prison: Repairs and

Maintenance 57

Community Rehabilitation

Companies 57

Detainees: ICT 58

Offences Against Children:

Sentencing 58

Prisoners' Release: Females 59

Prisoners: Self-harm 60

Small Claims: Electronic

Government 60

TRANSPORT 60

Bus Services: Bury 60

Cycling 61

East Midlands Rail Franchise 61

High Speed 2 Railway Line 62

Motor Vehicles: Insurance 63

Neston Station 63

Northern Rail Franchise 63

Northern: Subsidies 64

Railways: Franchises 64

Severn River Crossing: Tolls 65

TREASURY 65

Carers: Welfare Tax Credits 65

Children: Day Care 66

Corporation Tax 66

Customs: Warehouses 66

Electronic Cigarettes: VAT 67

Financial Services: Regulation 67

Government Controlled

Companies 68

Multinational Companies:

Taxation 68

Public Sector: Pay 69

Revenue and Customs:

Blockchain 69

Revenue and Customs: East

Kilbride 69

Revenue and Customs:

Holiday Leave 70

Revenue and Customs: Staff 70

Social Enterprises: Tax

Allowances 71

Unemployment 71

WORK AND PENSIONS 72

Children: Maintenance 72

Department for Work and

Pensions: Training 72

Employment and Support

Allowance 73

Personal Independence

Payment 73

Sanitary Protection 74

Social Security Benefits:

Mental Health 75

Unemployment:

Wolverhampton North East 75

Universal Credit 75

Universal Credit: Disability 80

Universal Credit: South

Yorkshire 80

Universal Credit:

Wolverhampton North East 80

Vacancies: West Midlands 81

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 82

DEFENCE 82

HMS Victory 1744 82

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 83

Foreign Affairs Council – 15

October 2018 83

Tailored Review of Wilton Park 84

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 85

Future reciprocal healthcare

arrangements 85

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 86

Housing update 86

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 87

Trade Remedies Authority 87

JUSTICE 89

Justice update 89

TRANSPORT 90

Crossrail Update 90

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES 91

Civil Partnerships 91

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

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Carbon Budgets: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: [181237]

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

reason the Fourth and Fifth Carbon Budgets are not within the scope of his Department’s

recent request to the Committee on Climate Change to advise on the implications of the

Paris Climate Agreement and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special

Report on 1.5 degrees for the UK's long-term emissions reduction targets.

Claire Perry:

We are leading the world in our response to the IPCC report – commissioning our

independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), for advice on our

long-term targets a week after publication of the IPCC report. The Climate Change

Act 2008 establishes the functions of the CCC which include providing advice on the

level of 2050 target, as well as providing advice in connection with carbon budgets.

The CCC’s focus for this particular advice will rightly be on our long-term targets,

including the costs, benefits and deliverability of more ambitious targets.

The UK carbon budgets already set in legislation are among the most stringent in the

world, requiring a 57% cut in emissions by 2028 - 2032 from a 1990 baseline. The

Government’s focus is on delivering those challenging targets as part of our Clean

Growth Strategy. As part of their ongoing analysis on our progress, the CCC already

advise on a decarbonisation pathway that takes us on a steeper trajectory than

legislated carbon budgets (see the CCC’s Progress Report of June this year).

Under the Climate Change Act, the CCC will next advise us on carbon budget levels

in 2020 when they set out their views on the sixth carbon budget (2033-2037).

Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency: Appeals

Nick Thomas-Symonds: [181586]

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

process is for an appeal against the findings of a Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency

investigation.

Claire Perry:

The Cavity Insultation Guarantee Agency (CIGA), an independent commercial

organisation, has a standardised customer journey and resolution process which is

detailed on their website: https://ciga.co.uk/consumer-concerns. Should a customer

believe that CIGA staff have not followed this process they can raise a concern

directly with the Chief Executive Officer or alternatively with CIGA’s Consumer Focus

Non-Executive Director.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-18/181237

https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/reducing-uk-emissions-2018-progress-report-to-parliament/

https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/reducing-uk-emissions-2018-progress-report-to-parliament/


If a Guarantee has been issued, but CIGA have not responded in a manner that is

satisfactory to the consumer, the guarantee allows for any dispute between the

householder and CIGA to be referred to arbitration. The Independent Arbitration

service for customers is provided by the independent Centre for Effective Dispute

Resolution (CEDR). Their role is to provide a formal way to resolve disputes between

CIGA or CIGA-registered installers and their customers, when other attempts to

resolve a dispute have been unsuccessful.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts

Rebecca Long Bailey: [182889]

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

and what proportion of staff of companies subcontracted by his Department are BAME.

Richard Harrington:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold records

on the number of staff employed by companies subcontracted for the provision of

services.



and what proportion of staff of companies subcontracted by Department are BAME.

Richard Harrington:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold records

on the number of staff employed by companies subcontracted for the provision of

services.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure


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

change was to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' budget in real and

cash terms in each year from 2010-11 to 2016-17.

Richard Harrington:

Business Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) budgets decreased by 6.5%, in real terms,

between 2010 and 2017 (14.9% decrease in cash terms). The year on year decrease

is as follows:

Note: “BIS budgets” refers to total Departmental Expenditure Limits, excluding

depreciation, taken from Departmental Estimates. The 2016-17 figures are based on

the Main Estimate due to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy (BEIS) was created in July 2016.




CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR

Real Cash

2011-12 -8.1% -

9.3%

2012-13 -1.5% -

3.4%

2013-14 4.0% 2.1%

2014-15 -1.9% -

3.1%

2015-16 -3.3% -

4.0%

2016-17 4.5% 2.3%

Electricity Generation

Drew Hendry: [180812]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is

the Government's policy to move away from using coal to generate electricity in the UK;

and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of higher gas prices on the

level of electricity generation from (a) coal and (b) gas.

Claire Perry:

The Government is committed to ending the use of unabated coal for electricity

generation by 2025. Government measures and support for low carbon technologies

mean that coal has gone from generating 39% of the UK’s electricity in 2012 to 7% in

2017[i]. Coal’s share of electricity generation was 1.6% for 2018 Q2. Gas’ share of

electricity generation was 42% for the same period[ii].

The Department considers and analyses a range of future price scenarios and the

effect on anticipated generation from coal and gas; a number of these scenarios are

published as part of the BEIS Energy and Emissions Projections[iii]. Changes in gas

prices are one of a number of factors that can affect the amount of coal and gas

generation on the system at any particular time. Higher gas prices may incentivise

some switching from gas to coal due to impacts on gas-fired power plants relative

profitability in the short term. While there may be a small increase in the share of coal

generation this winter, we do not expect these recent fluctuations to significantly

affect the trajectory to the end of unabated coal by 2025.

[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-

kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes


https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes



[ii] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends

[iii] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-and-emissions-projections

Fracking: Finance

Lee Rowley: [180287]

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

Written Statement of 17 May 2018 on Energy Policy, HCWS690, what (a) methodology

and (b) data were used by his Department for the statement that shale gas companies

could make set payments to communities with shale developments for up to £10m.

Claire Perry:

The figure quoted is an industry estimate that has been modelled on scenarios in the

Institute of Directors’ report entitled ‘Getting shale gas working’.

The shale gas industry has made a commitment through its Community Engagement

Charter[1], to provide benefits to local communities at locations where hydraulic

fracturing takes place.

[1] http://www.ukoog.org.uk/community/charter

Fuel Oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Private Rented Housing

Dr David Drew: [181545]


exemptions have been granted to landlords with off-gas grid properties using either (a)

heating oil and (b) liquefied petroleum gas under Regulation 25 of the Energy Efficiency

(Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015.

Claire Perry:

Landlords of EPC F or G rated domestic privately rented properties may register an

exemption under Regulation 25 if they have made all the relevant energy efficiency

improvements available for their property and it remains below E, or if there are no

relevant energy efficiency improvements that can be made. The gas-grid status is not

a relevant factor in whether a property qualifies for this exemption.

To the end of September, 2,194 exemptions have been registered under Regulation

25. A proportion of these may relate to off-gas grid properties, but this information is

not required from the landlord when registering an exemption.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Mr Roger Godsiff: [182087]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will put in

place immediately an export tariff regime for rooftop solar panels installed after March

2019; and for what reason such a regime is not already in place.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-and-emissions-projections

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-and-emissions-projections




Claire Perry:

We are considering responses to the recent Consultation proposing to close the

Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme, and the Call for Evidence on small-scale low-carbon

generation. The Government will set out its response in due course.

CABINET OFFICE

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Jim Shannon: [182212]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of

people with Hodgkin lymphoma in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith:

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

I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA response [PQ182212 Jim Shannon MP.pdf]

Part-time Employment

Mr Gregory Campbell: [182709]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the

level of people employed on a part-time basis in the last twelve months.

Chloe Smith:

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

I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA response [PQ 182709.pdf]

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Brecon Beacons

Mrs Madeleine Moon: [181205]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) heat and (b) cold related injuries

were recorded in the Brecon Beacons during (i) training events, (ii) selection events and

(iii) exercises in (A) 2017 and (B) 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster:

From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 19 UK Service personnel had a recorded

cold injury and six UK Service personnel had a recorded heat illness in the Brecon

Beacons or at Brecon Medical Centre.




From 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2018, 16 UK Service personnel had a recorded

cold injury, and fewer than five UK Service personnel had a recorded heat illness in

the Brecon Beacons or at Brecon Medical Centre.

Information is not held in a format that allows separation between training, selection

and exercises. Figures of fewer than five have been suppressed to ensure that

individuals cannot be identified

Armed Forces: Deployment


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

(a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Navy deployments which were extended before the scheduled

end of the tour of duty in each year from 2015 to 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster:

To meet evolving and emergent operational requirements:

The Royal Navy has retained a vessel beyond the planned deployment period on

five occasions from 2015 to 2018. One deployment was extended in 2015, three were

extended in 2016-2017 and one in 2018. We do not comment on submarine

operations for security reasons.

The Army - approximately 120 personnel were extended in Afghanistan in summer

2018 from four months to eight months to facilitate the Kabul Security Force uplift.

The personnel had a two week period of Rest and Recuperation at home within the

eight months.

In South Sudan, personnel extended for 21 days to ensure a seamless handover of

the military run hospital to the Vietnamese in Bentiu.

A number of personnel were also retained for up to 19 days beyond their end of tour

date in South Sudan due to visa issues for the incoming relief.

Royal Air Force - Operational deployments are conducted in a variety of ways by

the Royal Air Force and extensions to operational deployments are not recorded.

The movement of personnel is tracked on an individual level using the Joint

Personnel Administration system. This is limited to departure/arrival dates only which

do not indicate if an extension or reduction in deployment duration has occurred.

Therefore the data above reflects delays to formed unit's deployment only.

Armed Forces: Weather


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at what level within the duty holder concept

does authority rest for the (a) cancellation and (b) rescheduling of a selection (i)

recruitment and (ii) training event in the event of (A) adverse and (B) extreme weather

conditions.




To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any (a) training, (b) selection and (c)

exercises in the Brecon Beacons were cancelled as a result of (i) adverse and (ii)

extreme weather conditions in (A) 2017 and (B) 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster:

The authority to cancel or reschedule a recruitment or training event sits at all levels

of the Duty Holder Concept. This empowers the Delivery Duty Holder, at the lowest

level of the construct, to cancel or reschedule if they are not able to keep risk as low

as reasonably practicable. In cases where there is an imperative to run an event,

which is unlikely to be the case for recruitment/selection activities, decision making

may be escalated to the next levels of the Duty Holder Concept to consider the risk

and provide additional senior guidance and/or resources to mitigate any safety

shortfalls, or confirm cancellation.

The Delivery Duty Holder may not always be the person directly responsible for an

event. As a result there is also a Duty of Care process which ensures that those

responsible for the running of an event are still empowered with the authority to stop

that activity until it is safe to proceed.

The information on cancellation of events is not held centrally in the format

requested. In line with the Duty Holder Concept, events will be adapted (e.g. location

or dates changed to mitigate risks) or cancelled.

Navy: Arctic


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish the ten-year plan

on the development of Maritime and Royal Marine activity in the High North by the end of

October 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster:

The ten-year plan on the development of Maritime and Royal Marine activity in the

High North will not be published in the public domain due to security classification.

However, the Defence Arctic Strategy, announced by the Secretary of State for

Defence on 30 September, is currently expected to be published in the first quarter of

2019, and its assumptions and content will represent the public elements of the ten-

year plan.

Reserve Forces: Surveys


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

reserves who (a) initially received and (b) have been sent reminders to complete the

negotiating civilian and military life survey.





To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reminders his Department has

issued in relation to completing the survey on negotiating civilian and military life.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many responses from members of the

Reserve Forces there were to the survey on negotiating military and civilian life; and if he

will make a statement.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the results of the

survey on negotiating civilian and military life; if he will make a statement.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to

ensure that information on the survey on negotiating civilian and military life was

disseminated to Army Reservists.

Mark Lancaster:

The Confidential Employer and Families Survey on Reserves, Family and Work (as

part of the Future Reserves Research Programme (FRRP)) was placed onto the

Defence Connect and Defence Gateway, the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) on-line

platforms for Defence Personnel. The survey was launched on 2 March 2018 with a

blog that was viewed by 2,814 people and re-blogged into around 250 Reservist

pages across the three Services. The survey was available continuously over an 8-

week period, with Defence Connect and Defence Gateway viewed around 1,879,000

and 871,000 times respectively during that time.

The survey was undertaken by a consortium of university researchers and

disseminated by the Army on behalf of all three Services. The MOD has been

advised that there were around 400 responses to the survey. It is expected that the

results of the survey will be shared through the FRRP website before the end of the

year.

Trident Submarines: Contingency Reserve


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the titles of the budget categories in the

£600 million of contingency fund allocated to the Dreadnought programme are for the

current financial year.

Stuart Andrew:

Her Majesty's Treasury has allowed the Ministry of Defence to access up to £600

million of funds from the £10 billion contingency allocated to the Dreadnought

submarine programme in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. The

funds are for capital expenditure in the current financial year.






USA: INF Treaty

Jonathan Edwards: [182738]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when (a) he and (b) his Department received

confirmation from the US Government on its decision to withdraw from the INF treaty.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet

colleagues on the decision taken by the US Government to withdraw from the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect on

world security of the decision by the US Administration to withdraw from the Intermediate-

Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his

counterparts in NATO countries on the decision by the US Administration to withdraw

from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Gavin Williamson:

We have regular and close dialogue with US and NATO partners at all levels on

foreign and security policy questions, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear

Forces Treaty. Russia is engaged in a broad modernisation of its nuclear and missile

forces and we share US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the

Treaty has played a valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see

it continue to stand but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty

remains in force, the Government will continue efforts to bring Russia back into full

and verified compliance. We will continue to work closely with US and other Allies on

next steps.

Water-cooled Reactors: Testing


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the

implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Navy nuclear reactor test facility

review published in May 2018.

Stuart Andrew:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 October 2018 to Question 177598

to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton).






EDUCATION

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: [182694]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to

ensure that Aspire Achieve Advance apprentices are able to complete their

apprenticeship qualifications after the provider ceased trading.

Anne Milton:

We want to help support all Aspire Achieve Advance apprentices and to ensure

minimum disruption to their learning. The Education and Skills Funding Agency

(ESFA) has established a specialist taskforce to make sure that apprentices can

continue their programmes with alternative providers. The ESFA has written to all

affected employers and learners to provide them with reassurance and explain the

next steps. The ESFA has also set up a dedicated email address for enquiries from

concerned apprentices, parents, or employers. The ESFA is also working with

employers and providers to ensure apprentices are transferred to new providers as

quickly as possible.

Apprentices: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: [182760]

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

apprenticeships have been created in each month since the introduction of the

apprenticeship levy in Wolverhampton North East Constituency.

Anne Milton:

The attached table in Annex A provides the figures for apprenticeship starts in

Wolverhampton North East constituency for each month since changes were made to

apprenticeship funding from May 2017, following the introduction of the levy.

Attachments:

1. Annex_A_for_PQ_182760 [Annex A for PQ 182760.doc]

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: [182820]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department has made

available for families that have a child eligible for 30 hours of free childcare but

mistakenly do not apply for an eligibility code.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The government is committed to ensuring parents have access to high-quality

affordable childcare. The termly deadline for the 30 hours offer has been made clear

to local authorities, providers and parents, and the department expects parents to

adhere to these deadlines to ensure they are able to access a 30 hours place for their

child.




The government has invested in strong and clear communications on the 30 hours

offer, including a cross government website, Childcare Choices, which clearly sets

out how and when a parent can access a place: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The

department recognises that some applications may be delayed in the childcare

service, that is why we have put in place a 14-day discretionary period for those

parents who applied in time but received a code after the deadline, through no fault of

their own.

Parents who are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare but miss the termly deadline

will continue to remain eligible for the universal 15 hour per week early education

entitlement before they can access a 30 hours place the following term. They can

also take advantage of Tax-Free Childcare which was introduced earlier this year.

Tracy Brabin: [182878]

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

of the provision of (a) 30 hours of free childcare and (b) tax-free childcare on the number

of childcare information officers employed by local authorities.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The information requested is not held centrally. The provision of children information

officers is a matter for individual local authorities.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide information, advice and assistance

to parents and prospective parents on the provision of childcare in their area,

including the 30 hours offer and HM Revenue and Customs Tax-Free Childcare. The

government requires all local authorities to pass through 95% of their three and four

year old funding to early years providers.

The department also provides direct support from officials and through our delivery

partner, Childcare Works, to ensure they are best placed to deliver the government’s

childcare offers.

Education

Lucy Powell: [182778]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in each local authority

are in the lowest 20 per cent for attainment in schools.

Nick Gibb:

An overview of the number of pupils in each local authority who, at the end of Key

Stage 4 in 2018 (provisional data) were ranked in the bottom 20% nationally

according to the Attainment 8[1] measure, is shown in the attached tables. The figures

are based on pupils in state funded schools, and the tables also show the numbers

as a proportion of all state funded pupils in each local authority.

[1] Attainment 8 is part of the new secondary accountability system that was

implemented for all schools from 2016. It measures maths (double weighted), English

(double weighted), three EBacc subjects and three others (can include EBacc). Each

grade achieved constitutes a point score, which is used to calculate the Attainment 8

http://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

http://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/



score. More information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2017-to-2018-

provisional.

Attachments:

1. 182778_LA_pupil_attainment_table [182778_LA_pupil_attainment_table.pdf]

Higher Education: Young People

Grahame Morris: [182742]

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

of the effectiveness of gap years in improving educational outcomes for students.

Mr Sam Gyimah:

The department has not made any recent assessment of the effectiveness of gap

years in improving educational outcomes for students.

In 2012, we published a study that examined the characteristics of gap-year takers,

their motivations, what they did and what effect it had on their longer-term outcomes:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gap-year-takers-uptake-trends-and-long-

term-outcomes.

IGCSE


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data Ofqual holds on IGCSE entries for

(a) state-funded and (b) independent schools.

Nick Gibb:

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I

have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the hon. Member and a copy

of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of GCSE

entries in (a) state and (b) independent schools were IGCSEs in 2018.

Nick Gibb:

For pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2018, the number of international GCSE

entries and their proportion of GCSE and equivalent entries in 2017/18 is provided

below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2017-to-2018-provisional




https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gap-year-takers-uptake-trends-and-long-term-outcomes





INSTITUTION TYPE

NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL

GCSE ENTRIES

AS A PROPORTION OF GCSE

AND EQUIVALENTS

State-funded 7,824 0.2%

Independent 26,024 10.9%

Other (e.g. Pupil Referral Units

and Alternative Provision)

337 1.4%

All schools 34,185 0.8%

For pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2018, the number of entries in approved

international GCSEs (those which count in the department’s school and college

performance tables), and their proportion of all GCSE and equivalent entries in

2017/18 counted in performance tables, is provided below:

INSTITUTION TYPE

NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL

GCSE ENTRIES

AS A PROPORTION OF GCSE

AND EQUIVALENTS

State-funded 5,782 0.1%

Independent 1,848 0.9%

Other (e.g. Pupil Referral Units

and Alternative Provision)

21 0.1%

All schools 7,651 0.2%

Pupils: Cerebral Palsy

Bambos Charalambous: [181316]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure provision

for pupils with cerebral palsy in schools.

Bambos Charalambous: [181318]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will include guidance on

education provision for children with cerebral palsy to teacher training courses.

Nadhim Zahawi:

It is important that children with medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy, are

supported to receive a full education. Under Section 100 of the Children and Families

Act (2014), governing boards are required to make arrangements to support pupils

with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance.



The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-

pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3, and covers a range of areas including the

preparation and implementation of school policies for supporting pupils with medical

conditions, the use of individual healthcare plans, staff training, medicines

administration, roles and responsibilities, consulting with parents and collaborative

working with healthcare professionals. It was developed with a range of stakeholders

including the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance (HCSA), school leaders, academy

organisations, unions, young people and their parents, and Department of Health and

Social Care officials and is based on good practice in schools.

We continue to work with organisations such as the HCSA to help raise further

awareness of the duty on schools.

To be awarded qualified teacher status, trainees must meet the teachers’ standards,

which include a requirement that they adapt teaching to meet the strengths and

needs of all pupils. The performance of all existing teachers in maintained schools

must be assessed every year against the teachers’ standards. It is the responsibility

of school leaders to determine the training needs of their staff within their approach to

school improvement, professional development and performance management.

Staff training is critical in enabling school staff to provide the support needed to pupils

with medical conditions. The statutory guidance is clear that governing boards should

ensure that any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical

needs has received suitable training. It also states that training should be sufficient as

to ensure that staff are competent and have confidence in their ability to support

pupils with medical conditions, and to fulfil the requirements as set out in individual

healthcare plans.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Justin Madders: [180777]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools each regional schools

commissioner is responsible for.

Nick Gibb:

Table 1 below shows the number of schools in each of the Regional Schools

Commissioner regions as of October 2018.

Table 1. Number of schools, including academies, free schools, studio schools and

university technical colleges under the responsibility of Regional Schools

Commissioners by region.

RSC REGION NUMBER OF SCHOOLS

East of England and North East London 1137

East Midlands and Humber 1239

Lancashire and West Yorkshire 841

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3




RSC REGION NUMBER OF SCHOOLS

North 507

North West London and South Central 1077

South East and South London 1148

South West 1184

West Midlands 1096

Grand Total 8229

Data correct as of 03/10/2018

Source: Get Information About Schools: https://get-information-

schools.service.gov.uk/.

School Day

Dr Matthew Offord: [180703]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the

potential merits for teenagers at school of staggering the start-time of the school day.

Nick Gibb:

The Changing of School Session Times (England) Regulations (1999), which

prescribed the procedures maintained schools had to follow when changing the

school day, were revoked in September 2011:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1954/made.

The governing bodies of all maintained schools in England now have the freedom to

revise the length of the school day as they see fit.

All schools have the autonomy to make decisions about the content, structure and

duration of their school day, including the flexibility to decide when their school day

should start and finish. We trust head teachers to decide how best to structure their

school day to support their pupils’ education.

There are no specific legal requirements about how long the school day should be.

Governing bodies of maintained schools are responsible for deciding when morning

and afternoon sessions should begin and end on each school day.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Ben Bradley: [181291]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding programmes are in place to

support (a) early intervention for children with additional needs and (b) other aspects of

nurture care.

https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/





Nadhim Zahawi:

Children’s services, including for meeting additional needs, nurture and care, are

delivered locally. Statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ is

clear that local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective, evidence-

based services in place to address assessed needs early. The 2015 Spending

Review made available more than £200 billion until 2020 for councils to deliver local

services, including children’s services. Through the local government finance

settlement, local government has been given access to £45.1 billion in 2018-19 and

£45.6 billion in 2019-20. This is an overall increase since 2017-18 of £1.3 billion.

In addition, the Department for Education’s National Funding Formula has an

additional needs factor, directing more funding to local authorities with more need.

Local authorities also receive high needs funding, which supports educational

provision up-to age 25. High needs funding has risen by £1 billion since 2013 and will

be over £6 billion next year.

Beyond these funding streams, across government, there are a wide range of

programmes underway to address the root causes of children’s needs early. This

includes:

- £8 million funding for supporting children affected by domestic abuse.

- £200 million youth endowment fund preventing young people being drawn into

serious violence.

- £1.4 billion investment to transform children and young people’s mental health

services from 2015/16 to 2019/20, with £300 million proposals outlined in the

'Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper

(2017)' in addition to this.

- £920 million committed to the Troubled Families Programme, which aims to achieve

significant and sustained improvement for up to 400,000 families with multiple, high-

cost problems by 2020.

In meeting other additional needs such as special education needs and disabilities

(SEND), there are a range of measures put in place to ensure that local areas can

put the right support in place for children and their families to access early education.

Our disability access fund is worth £615 per eligible child per year, and there is a

requirement that local authorities establish a SEND Inclusion Fund for three and four

year olds, to ensure children with SEND get the best from the free childcare

entitlements. Since 2014, we have invested £391 million for local areas to implement

SEND reforms.

Funding for children’s social care is an unringfenced part of the wider local

government finance settlement, to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on

locally determined priorities as well as meeting statutory responsibilities. Local

authorities used this flexibility to increase spending on children and young people’s

services to around £9.2 billion in 2016-17.

The department has also invested £200 million in our Innovation Programme, so

councils and others have support to trial ways to reform services to be more effective.

This includes strands focused on children at the edge of Children in Need services

and on reducing children entering care. This is also an early priority for the What

Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, which is funded to make a positive

difference to practice and outcomes for children and families by improving the quality

and use of evidence.

Students: Loans


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

allocated for advanced learner loans in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16, (c) 2016-17, (d) 2017-

18 and (e) 2018-19; and for each of those years what the total amount of funding taken

up by learners was.

Anne Milton:

The department accounts for Advanced Learner Loans funding as annually managed

expenditure, due to their demand-led nature and inherent volatility. The department

forecasts annual outlay for Advanced Learner Loans.

The attached table, in Annex A, sets out the Advanced Learner Loans outlay for

2014/15 to 2017/18, and the forecast outlay for 2018/19. The table relates to loan

issuance values only and excludes repayments received.

Attachments:

1. Annex_A_table_for_PQ_182695 [Annex A table for PQ 182695.doc]

Teachers: Recruitment


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the level

of recruitment of teachers for T Levels in colleges.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department plans to

allocate for the recruitment of additional specialist teachers for T Levels in Colleges.

Anne Milton:

We are investing up to £20 million over the two years to March 2020 to support

providers as they prepare for the introduction of T levels. This includes a new,

bespoke programme of professional development to help improve the knowledge and

skills of those teaching T levels, as well as our new £5 million Taking Teaching

Further programme. This programme will support up to 150 industry professionals to

train to teach in the further education (FE) sector.

Although FE institutions are private sector organisations responsible for their own

workforce planning, we are working closely with providers, including the first T level

providers, to understand how best we can support the effective recruitment, retention




and development of the teachers and leaders that the sector needs to secure the

best possible outcomes for learners. We will be looking carefully at these issues in

the forthcoming Spending Review.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Young People

Scott Mann: [180822]

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

Department is taking to encourage young people into farming.

George Eustice:

The government is reforming post-16 technical education to provide clear routes to

skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the

introduction of new T level programmes, which alongside apprenticeships, will sit

within 15 routes, including an Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care route.

The government also published a Policy Statement in September 2018, alongside its

landmark Agriculture Bill. This sets out how we will help facilitate structural change to

open up more opportunities for new entrants to farming by delinking Direct Payments

from the land during the agricultural transition period.

We are also exploring how to help Local Authorities who want to invest in their

Council Farms, so that they offer real opportunities for new farmers to start a

foundation business and gain the experience they need to progress onto a larger unit.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: [182676]

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

Government has to measure Bovine TB outbreaks by prevalence as well as incidence;

and if he will release all the statistical evidence from the recent Gloucestershire and

Somerset badger cull pilots.

George Eustice:

In September the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) published data on cattle

TB incidence and prevalence in the first ten cull areas and in the 2km buffer area

around cull areas.

As well as the headline incidence rate and prevalence, the raw data that underpins

these calculations was also published; namely the number of total new TB incidents,

the number of new incidents where Officially TB-Free (OTF) status was withdrawn,

the number of herds under restriction, the number of herds in existence and the

“Time at Risk” which takes into account the fact that a herd that is under TB

restrictions cannot have a new TB incident.



The data was broken down for each of the three years before culling began and for

each year since culling started, and for each of the ten cull areas and their 2km buffer

area.

Fisheries

Dr Sarah Wollaston: [182133]

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

the Marine Management Organisation has had with Wildlife Trusts on the use of pingers

on vessels in inshore fisheries.

George Eustice:

The Marine Management Organisation recently held very constructive discussions

with Cornwall Wildlife Trust on the use of pingers in the South West of England and

the requirements of wildlife licences for activities that may harm marine species

protected under EU and UK legislation.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Mrs Anne Main: [181194]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government

will create a new regulator to address (a) horse welfare and (b) deaths of race horses.

David Rutley:

The British Horserace Authority (BHA) are responsible for the welfare of racehorses

at racetracks. The BHA work in collaboration with the RSPCA and World Horse

Welfare to make racetracks as safe as possible. The number of racehorse fatalities at

racetracks has been falling steadily since 2012, which is welcome. However, whilst I

do not see a need for a new regulator, I consider that improvements can be made to

further reduce the number of racehorse fatalities each year. I will explore this issue

further when I meet BHA to discuss racehorse safety.

Immigration: Departmental Coordination

David Simpson: [182165]

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

he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the development of

the UK’s immigration policy after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice:

It is a key priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and

competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills. To help achieve

this, we will ensure that there is access to enough appropriately skilled labour to drive

continued industry growth and productivity.

Whilst the UK prepares to leave the EU, Defra is working closely with the Home

Office to ensure that the food and farming sector has access to the workforce it

needs as part of the future immigration policy.




The Home Office and Defra recently jointly announced a pilot scheme to bring

seasonal migrant workers to UK farms.

Recycling

Laura Smith: [180845]

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

Department supports local authorities to promote recycling by businesses.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) places a duty on local

authorities to collect or arrange for the collection of commercial waste from premises

in their area if requested by the occupier and may charge for the services they

provide. Local authorities may also promote waste minimisation and recycling within

its authority but do not have specific duties to promote business recycling. The

Government wants to increase business recycling and will set out in the Resources

and Waste Strategy, which will be published shortly, how we will achieve this.

Schools: Nutrition

Helen Jones: [181562]

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

he has made of the potential effect on the ability of dairy farmers to withstand market

fluctuations of not replacing the school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme after the UK

leaves the EU.

George Eustice:

The future application of the EU School Milk Scheme is under consideration and no

decisions have been taken. However, provisions included in the European Union

(Withdrawal) Act will support any future decisions.

The EU Scheme sits alongside other initiatives such as the much larger national

Nursery Milk Scheme for children under the age of five in daycare, Free School Milk

for those children entitled to Free School Meals and the requirement for schools to

make milk available for children under the School Food Standards. The key aim of

these initiatives is to make a contribution towards ensuring that children are healthy

and well-nourished. In addition, supporting dairy consumption from a young age also

makes a useful contribution towards the success of our dairy sector.

EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brexit

Tom Brake: [182667]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of

17 October to Question 175802 on Brexit, whether the Government has held any

discussions with EU member states on the potential extension of Article 50.




Chris Heaton-Harris:

The Government’s policy remains that Article 50 will not be extended. We will be

leaving the EU on 29 March 2019 and are negotiating to that timeline. We are

confident of reaching a deal which is in the best interests of both the UK and the EU.

Kate Hollern: [182790]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made

amount of money the UK will pay to the EU during the transition period between the UK

leaving the EU at the agreement of a trading relationship between the UK and EU.

Suella Braverman:

We have agreed a fair financial settlement with the EU as part of the draft Withdrawal

Agreement. It reflects the UK paying its share of the outstanding EU commitments

made during the period of our membership. Our estimate, based on reasonable

assumptions and publicly available data, is that it will fall within the range of £35-39bn

and the National Audit Office confirmed in April 2018 that these assumptions were

reasonable.

Conditions of Employment


To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials in his

Department are working on matters relating to employment rights.


The Department continues to recruit talent from across the civil service, the wider

public sector and the private sector. The Department for Exiting the European Union

has over 650 staff working with other government departments on all aspects of EU

Exit policy, including with the DWP.

Health Services: Social Services


To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials in his

Department are working on health and social care policy.


The Department continues to recruit talent from across the civil service, the wider

public sector and the private sector. The Department for Exiting the European Union

has over 650 staff working with other government departments on all aspects of EU

Exit policy, including with DHSC.

UK Trade with EU

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: [182196]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has

made of the ability of the EU to reach a legally-binding agreement with the UK on a future

trading relationship in advance of the UK leaving the EU.






As the Prime Minister made clear in her Statement to the House on Monday (22-10-

2018), the Future Framework agreement will take the form of a political declaration

that will accompany and be referred to in the Withdrawal Agreement. Although the

EU is only able legally to conclude the final agreements on the future relationship

once the UK has left the EU in March 2019, this political declaration will nevertheless

carry significant force.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Bangladesh: Demonstrations

Emily Thornberry: [181190]

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

representations he has made to his counterpart in the Bangladesh Government on that

Government’s response to recent demonstrations led by students and young people on

(a) reform of public-sector employment quotas and (b) road safety in that country.

Mark Field:

I was deeply concerned by the violence we saw in Dhaka in response to protests on

road-safety this summer, and by the action taken against the peaceful public-sector

employment quota protests. In a statement on 7 August, the British High

Commissioner to Bangladesh, Alison Blake, together with other EU Heads of Mission,

called on the Government of Bangladesh to investigate incidents of unlawful or

disproportionate violence against road safety protestors and journalists and hold the

perpetrators to account. Subsequently, Joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and

Department for International Development Minister Alistair Burt expressed our

concern regarding the response to the road safety protests with the Government of

Bangladesh, during his visit to Bangladesh 28-31 August.

Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office. We raised freedom of expression as a key concern in

Bangladesh during the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review and we

continue to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to work with Bangladeshi Civil

Society to address their concerns regarding freedom of expression.

Bangladesh: Elections


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

he has made of the impartiality of the Election Commission of Bangladesh since the

inauguration of its new members in February 2017; and what assessment he has made

of the ability of that Commission to oversee free, fair and credible elections to the

Parliament of Bangladesh.



Mark Field:

The UK government is clear that it wants to see a free, fair and pluralistic general

election in Bangladesh, and I have consistently encouraged the Government of

Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. For

this to be achieved, the Election Commission should be allowed to carry out its

important work unhindered by political influence. This message was more recently

communicated by the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh together with other

EU Heads of Mission during a meeting with the Election Commission on 18 October.

The EU confirmed that it will be sending an expert mission to observe the election in

Bangladesh.

I made clear my concerns regarding the prospects for the election to senior members

of the Government of Bangladesh, including State Minister for Foreign Affairs,

Shahriar Alam, and members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, during

my visit to Bangladesh 29 June - 1 July. The Foreign Secretary underlined the

importance of free, fair and non-violent elections in Bangladesh with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina when they met on 24 September at the UN General Assembley in

New York.

Bangladesh: War Crimes


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

assessment he has made of compliance by the International Crimes Tribunal in

Bangladesh with the requirements within the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights on due process and the right to a fair trial.

Mark Field:

The UK has consistently been clear that we support the principle of holding to

account those people guilty of committing crimes during the 1971 Liberation War in

Bangladesh. However, any such trials must be conducted in a way that meets

international legal standards. The British Government is aware of concerns

expressed by some human rights NGOs and legal professionals about International

Crimes Tribunal (ICT) proceedings. We have raised this with the Government of

Bangladesh on a number of occasions and hope the ICT will address such concerns

promptly and thoroughly.

Burma: Human Rights

Paul Scully: [181243]

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

on the conclusions of the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation

of Human Rights in Myanmar, published in March 2018.

Mark Field:

The Government set out its response to the report in its reply to PQ HL6282. Since

the report was published the UK has played a leading role in securing the resolution



adopted at the 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council in September that

establishes a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of atrocities in Burma, as

called for by the Special Rapporteur. The current Foreign Secretary has stated that it

is essential that the perpetrators of any atrocities are brought to justice through

impartial and credible investigations.

Burma: Peace Negotiations


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

he has had with his counterpart in Myanmar on the outcomes of the third 21st Century

Panglong Conference in Myanmar which was held on July 2018; and if he will make a

statement.

Mark Field:

Our Ambassador to Burma attended the conference's opening ceremony and met

Kachin, Chin, Shan and Karen leaders, and then discussed its outcomes with the

Minister for the Office of State Counsellor in their meeting of 9 August. While the

most contentious topics remain to be tackled, there was agreement at the conference

on a further 14 principles, bringing the total agreed to 51. The conference also re-

opened contact between the military and ethnic armed organisations, including non-

signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The role of the Burmese military

in supporting the peace process in Burma will rightly remain under international

scrutiny.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: [R] [181601]

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

has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by is Department who

are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made no assessment of the

number or proportion of staff employed by the FCO who may be in receipt of

universal credit. This information is not needed by the FCO for employment

purposes.

Jamal Khashoggi



he has made of the capability of the Saudi Government to undertake a credible

investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Alistair Burt:

The UK has made clear that Saudi Arabia must cooperate with Turkey and conduct a

full and credible investigation. We ask for both the Turkish and Saudi investigations to




be carried out thoroughly until responsibilities are clearly established and that there is

proper accountability and due process for any crimes committed.

We take note of the Saudi statement of preliminary findings but we do not accept that

the description of Mr Khashoggi's having died in a fight is a credible explanation.

There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened on 2 October

and thereafter. The Prime Minister made this point when she spoke to King Salman

of Saudi Arabia on 24 October.



representations he has made to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the spread of

inaccurate information on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by news verification services in

Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt:

The Prime Minister spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia on 24 October and made

clear that the current explanation lacks credibility. The Foreign Secretary also

conveyed this message when he spoke to the Saudi Foreign Minister on Saturday 20

October. There remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened on 2

October and thereafter.


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

he has had with his counterpart in the US administration on the (a) murder of Jamal

Khashoggi and (b) coordination of international responses to Saudi Arabia in relation to

that murder.

Alistair Burt:

The Foreign Secretary remains in close contact with international partners, including

his counterparts in the US, France and Germany to discuss the case of Jamal

Khashoggi. The Foreign Secretary has issued two joint statements alongside his G7

counterparts, including the US, on 17 and 23 October. He has also issued two joint

statements with his French and German counterparts, on 14 and 21 October. The

most recent G7 statement condemned the killing in the strongest possible terms and

reiterated the need for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by

Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities.

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: [182712]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to

respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland on Nicaragua dated 28

September 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan:

A response was sent on 22 October, four working days before the 20 day target as

published in the Cabinet Office annual correspondence report.




Religious Freedom


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold

discussions with the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief on UK

cooperation with the EU on freedom of religion and belief after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Field:

In his capacity as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or

Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon met Jan Figel, the European Commission Special

Envoy for FoRB, in July 2018.

The UK will seek to work closely with the EU on human rights issues including

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) after we leave. The EU Special Envoy is

responsible for the implementation of the EU guidelines on FoRB to which the UK

was a key contributor.

Sahel: Terrorism

Jo Swinson: [182714]


his Department has made of the effectiveness of the joint G5 regional stabilisation force

that was targeted by a suicide bomber in June 2018 at its headquarters in Sevare.

Harriett Baldwin:

The UK strongly supports the G5 Sahel Joint Force and condemns the attack against

the Force's Headquarters in Sevare in June 2018. The UK has contributed 15.5% of

the €100m of EU support to date for the Force, as well as £2m in bilateral funds. We

assess that the G5 Sahel Joint Force is having a positive impact against the Islamist

terrorist threat, evidenced by a number of effective joint operations since November

2017. The challenge is nevertheless significant and it is urgent that the Force

becomes fully operational and the international community makes good on pledges of

financial support for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.



his Department has made of the accuracy of reports that Algerian and Sudanese Islamist

jihadists are present in central and northern Mali where the joint G5 regional stabilisation

force operates.

Harriett Baldwin:

The UK strongly supports the G5 Sahel Joint Force and condemns the attack against

the Force's Headquarters in Sevare in June 2018. The UK has contributed 15.5% of

the €100m of EU support to date for the Force, as well as £2m in bilateral funds.

Since October 2012, there have been reports of significant numbers of foreign

terrorists, including Algerian and Sudanese fighters, operating in Gao and Timbuktu.

We assess that the G5 Sahel Joint Force is having a positive impact against the

Islamist terrorist threat, evidenced by a number of effective joint operations since




November 2017. The challenge is nevertheless significant and it is urgent that the

Force becomes fully operational and the international community makes good on

pledges of financial support for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

Saudi Arabia: Conferences


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials

from (a) his Department and (b) the British Embassy in Saudi Arabia attended the Future

Investment Initiative Conference in October 2018.

Alistair Burt:

As the Prime Minister said on Wednesday 24 October, no Ministers or government

officials attended the investment conference.


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

Department did not issue guidance to UK-based companies to withdraw their

representatives from the Future Investment Initiative Conference in Saudi Arabia in

October 2018.

Alistair Burt:

As the Prime Minister said on Wednesday 24 October, no Ministers or government

officials attended the Future Investment Initiative Conference.

The British Government expected companies to make their own decision regarding

attendance at the conference.

Saudi Arabia: Textbooks



his Department has made of the progress made by Saudi Arabian education authorities in

removing from school textbooks (a) incitements to commit jihad, (b) passages describing

Christians and Jews in a derogatory manner and (c) passages encouraging extremist

ideologies likely to incite hatred of religious minorities within Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt:

The British Government strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief,

which is restricted in Saudi Arabia. Our views are well known.

A major component of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is educational reform. As the Saudi

Minister of Education recently commented, this will take a number of years. During

the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the UK in 2018, we signed a

Memorandum of Understanding that will enable a partnership in developing

educational curricula.

We closely monitor freedom of religion or belief issues in Saudi Arabia.




South Sudan: Courts



he has made of the potential merits of the appointment by the UN of a prosecutor for the

Hybrid Court for South Sudan as an interim step pending the formal establishment of

such a court.

Harriett Baldwin:

Ensuring justice for the victims of the South Sudan conflict and ensuring that those

responsible are held accountable is vital in order to achieve sustainable, long term

peace. As part of the revised peace agreement signed on 12 September, parties re-

committed to several transitional justice mechanisms, including the establishment of

the Hybrid Court with the support of the African Union (AU). Through bilateral

engagement, and as part of the Troika, we have consistently called for the AU and

the Government of South Sudan to move forward with the establishment of this Court

and the other mechanisms.

Tibet: Human Rights

Vicky Foxcroft: [180821]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has

to discuss the human rights situation in Tibet with his Chinese counterpart as part of

China's universal periodic review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November.

Mark Field:

We pay close attention to the human rights situation across China, including in Tibet.

We are currently considering our advance questions and statement (including

recommendations) for China’s Universal Periodic Review session on 6 November,

and will be raising a range of our priority concerns. The UK engages consistently and

comprehensively in the Universal Periodic Review process. We have spoken at every

session and on every country since the process began, and are committed to its

improvement.

USA: INF Treaty

Tulip Siddiq: [182848]


discussions he has had with the US administration on the announcement of the US

withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan:

We have a close dialogue with the US at all levels on foreign and security policy

questions, including the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We share

US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the INF Treaty has played a

valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see it continue to stand

but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty remains in force, we will




continue our efforts to bring Russia back into full and verified compliance. We will

work closely with US and other Allies on next steps.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Allergies: Medical Equipment

Jonathan Ashworth: [181224]

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

has available for patients.

Steve Brine:

Both adult and paediatric adrenaline auto-injectors are available from suppliers for

the National Health Service to order for patients. We expect around 70,000 adult

adrenaline auto-injectors and 30,000 paediatric adrenaline auto-injectors will have

been supplied to the United Kingdom in October.

Asthma

Dan Jarvis: [R] [182772]

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

taking to reduce the number of preventable deaths from (a) asthma and (b) complications

arising from asthma attacks.

Steve Brine:

The Government has a mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 which holds the

National Health Service to account for the measures in the NHS Outcomes

Framework. One of the aims of this framework is to reduce the number of

preventable deaths from respiratory diseases, including asthma. Respiratory care is

also one of the areas being considered as part of the NHS long-term plan currently in

development.

Other steps being taken include:

- the commissioning of specialised respiratory services for severe asthma by NHS

England;

- the NHS offering the flu vaccine free of charge to those with severe asthma;

- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for asthma to improve

care quality and reduce the risk of asthma attacks; and

- guidance for the public which advises people to follow a personal asthma action

plan, created with their clinician, to help monitor their condition and receive advice on

what to do in the case of an asthma attack. The guidance is available at the following

link:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma



https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Colleen Fletcher: [182795]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken is

for patients to receive their smear test results in each NHS trust area.

Steve Brine:

Data on the average time taken for patients to receive their smear test results in each

National Health Service trust area are not collected.

Department of Health and Social Care: Institute of Economic Affairs


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list all occasions on

which he met a representative of the Institute for Economic Affairs since his appointment

as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Caroline Dinenage:

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met with the representatives of the

Institute for Economic Affairs since his appointment.

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Expenditure


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the

announcement entitled £240 million social care investment to ease NHS winter

pressures, published by his Department on 2 October 2018, what recent estimate his

Department has made of the (a) Resources Department Expenditure Limit, (b) Capital

Department Expenditure Limit and (c) Total Department Expenditure Limit for his

Department in 2018/19.

Stephen Barclay:

The Department’s spending plans for 2018-19 Resources Departmental Expenditure

Limit (RDEL) and Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) were published as

part of the 2018-19 Main Supply Estimates to Parliament in April 2018.

Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (TDEL), under HM Treasury conventions, is

calculated as the sum of RDEL and CDEL less the ring-fenced element of RDEL that

is for depreciation. The Department’s ring-fenced RDEL budget for 2018-19 is £1.531

billion.

Estimates are:

YEAR RDEL CDEL TDEL

2018-19 123.5 6.4 128.4

Note:




All figures are £ billion. RDEL is presented here including ringfenced funding of

depreciation costs, of £1.5 billion. TDEL = RDEL + CDEL – RF.

Revisions to the Department’s 2018-19 spending plans will be published by HM

Treasury in February 2019 as part of the Supplementary Supply Estimates.

Diabetes: Eating Disorders

Julie Elliott: [182768]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has

made of the quality of care available for Type 1 diabetics with diabulimia; and if he will

take steps to improve such provision.

Steve Brine:

NHS England recognises the importance of establishing the most effective

approaches to the treatment of diabulimia. Funds have been allocated for two pilots

to test and trial integrated type 1 diabetes and mental health pathways of treatment

and support for diabulimia, together with an independent evaluation, in order to

inform learning for potential wider application around the country. Both of these will

take place in the coming months.

Doctors: Training


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

Department has made of the potential merits of allocating funding for additional domestic

medical student places as a result of NHS demand for staff.

Stephen Barclay:

The Government has announced a record increase of an additional 1,500 medical

school places for domestic students in England – 630 started this September, with a

further 690 starting in 2019/20 and the final 180 in 2020/21. This expansion will also

deliver five brand new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford,

Lincoln and Canterbury.

On the back of the additional £20 billion additional National Health Service funding,

NHS leaders are currently producing a long-term plan that will include proposals for

the NHS workforce, training and leadership, which the Government will consider and

respond to in due course.

Health Professions


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to secure

additional funding for (i) health visitors and (ii) school nurses.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Government is investing £16 billion into local authority public health functions

over the current five-year spending review period until 2020/21. It is the responsibility




of local authorities to commission the health visitor and school nurse services that

meet the needs of their local population.

Infectious Diseases: Diagnosis

Sir Kevin Barron: [182685]

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

plans to take to reduce the geographical variation in access to high quality bacterial and

viral diagnostic technology.

Caroline Dinenage:

Public Health England (PHE) operates a number of microbiology laboratories across

England which provides national coverage, regardless of geographic location, and

works closely with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s devolved administrations.

These laboratories complement and expand on the testing that is undertaken in a

larger laboratory network operating throughout the National Health Service to provide

frontline diagnostics.

PHE’s laboratories use many different diagnostic technologies, including traditional

and molecular microbiological, serological and innovative genomic approaches to

recognise pathogens and diagnose infections promptly. These cover infections

caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoal parasites. The results of PHE

laboratory testing are provided directly to the NHS to support patient management, to

reduce risks of onwards transmission and to minimise threats to public health

throughout England.

Learning Disability: Training



taking to ensure that NHS nurses receive adequate training on learning disabilities.

Caroline Dinenage:

National Health Service trusts have a statutory responsibility to provide sufficient

numbers of suitably qualified, competent staff to meet the needs of the people using

health services, including those with a learning disability. The professional regulators

for nurses, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), set the standards and assess

curricula for nurse education.

The NMC’s Standards of pre-registration nursing programmes state:

Approved education institutions, together with practice learning partners, must design

and deliver a programme that supports students and provides exposure across all

four fields of nursing practice: adult, mental health, learning disabilities and children’s

nursing.

The Government response to the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Programme

Second Annual Report published in September 2018 agrees that health and care

staff should have access to learning disability awareness training and will consult by



the end of March 2019 on options for delivering this to staff. Mandatory learning

disability awareness training should be provided to all staff, delivered in conjunction

with people with learning disabilities and their families.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: [182750]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will accept all the

recommendations of the National Audit Office’s report entitled Improving children and

young people’s mental health services, published in October 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

We welcome the National Audit Office’s focus on the important area of children and

young people’s mental health services. We are going above and beyond many of the

original recommendations set out in Future in Mind, for example, in improving support

and access to services in schools through the recent Green Paper. We have also set

ambitious targets on access, which we are on track to meet.

The National Health Service will also be considering what more it can do to improve

children and young people’s mental health through the Long-Term Plan for the NHS.

Mental Illness: Cumbria

Tim Farron: [182729]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18th

October 2018, to Question 178267 on Mental Illness: Cumbria, if he will publish the

records for appointment requests to (a) Child and adolescent mental health services and

(b) GPs for mental health related issues for under 18s in Cumbria in the format they are

held.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The requested information is not available.

NHS: Innovation

Sir Kevin Barron: [182684]

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

that NHS staff are appropriately trained to use new innovations in diagnostic technology.

Stephen Barclay:

The Cancer Workforce Plan for England, published in December 2017 by Health

Education England (HEE), set out the actions needed to target additional training

support for several priority professions, including diagnostic and therapeutic

radiography.

There are several initiatives to prepare the healthcare workforce, through education

and training, to deliver the digital future. For example, the Topol Review, led by

cardiologist, geneticist, and digital medicine researcher Dr Eric Topol and facilitated




by HEE, is exploring how best to enable National Health Service staff to make the

most of technologies such as genetic diagnostics.

Pathology


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an

assessment of the adequacy of staffing levels in Histopathology Departments in each

NHS Trust in England.

Stephen Barclay:

Responsibility for staffing levels rests with individual National Health Service trusts

and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide

a given service, taking into account skill mix, efficiency and the needs of their local

population.

Prescriptions

Martin Vickers: [181231]

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

Department has made of the potential merits of introducing recommendation

prescriptions to (a) reduce pressure on general practice and (b) ensure patients access

appropriate over-the-counter treatments.

Steve Brine:

The Department has made no such assessment.

Proof of Identity: Oldham

Jim McMahon: [182806]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion

of applications for Care Quality Commission DBS checks used the ID verification service

at Oldham Post Office.

Caroline Dinenage:

According to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) data, a total of 16,974

applications for a CQC DBS check were submitted between 1 July 2017 and 1 July

2018.

The Post Office transactional data shows that 220 CQC DBS applications were

processed at the Oldham Post Office between the same period.

The proportion is close to 1.3%.

Rehabilitation Centres: Location

Chi Onwurah: [182767]

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

has issued to (a) NHS Trusts and (b) Care Commissioning Groups on consulting local

communities on the location of drug and alcohol recovery and treatment centres.





Steve Brine:

It is for local authorities to determine the location of drug and alcohol recovery and

treatment centres based on specific local needs. This requires that local communities

are consulted on as part of an application for a new drug and alcohol treatment

service. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Planning

Portal is the home for all current guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/

Public Health England provides annual needs assessment data and information on

evidence-based interventions for local authority commissioners to use when planning

new drug and alcohol treatment services.

Sanitary Protection


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an

assessment of the potential merits of the proposals made by Unite the Union in its Period

Dignity Charter published on 24 September 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department has made no such assessment.

Stem Cells: Donors



taking to encourage (a) men aged 16-30 and (b) people from black, Asian or minority

ethnic backgrounds to sign up to the stem cell donor register.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Young people play a pivotal role in the stem cell landscape. Research has identified

that younger donors offer the potential for better patient outcomes and a greater

chance of survival. In 2017, 82% of people who were selected to donate their stem

cells were male, and 58% were men aged 30 and under. In acknowledgement of this

fact, the Department provides funding to Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and

Transplant to support recruitment of young male donors. In 2017 69% of new

potential donors recruited to the United Kingdom registry were under the age of 30,

and 40% of new potential donors were male.

The Department also funds Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant to

improve equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for Black, Asian

and Minority Ethnic (BAME) patients through targeted recruitment to the Anthony

Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry.

The Department has provided more than £26 million to NHS Blood and Transplant

and Anthony Nolan for stem cell donation since 2011 and have set very specific

targets about the proportion of donors that must be from BAME backgrounds; for

example, in this financial year, Anthony Nolan will continue to target more than 35%





of the umbilical cords stored in the UK Cord Blood Bank to be donated by mothers

from BAME backgrounds.

HOME OFFICE

Asylum


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

that local authorities are empowered and funded to support asylum seekers and newly

recognised refugees.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office provides asylum seekers and their dependants who would

otherwise be destitute with free furnished accommodation (rent and utility free) and a

weekly cash allowance to cover their other essential living needs. They also have

access to free NHS healthcare and education for their dependent children.

Newly recognised refugees are able to apply for mainstream benefits and assistance

from their local authority to find housing, and they also have full and unrestricted

access to the labour market.

We are working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that

newly recognised refugees are provided with assistance to apply for any benefit to

which they are entitled before their Home Office support comes to an end.

Asylum: Greater London


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are

living in London as at October 2018.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on the number of asylum seekers

housed in dispersed accommodation, including under Section 95, by local authority in

the Immigration Statistics release, in table as_16q and 17q in volume 4 of the Asylum

data tables. These are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-

2017/list-of-tables#asylum

This does not include those asylum seekers who are accommodated with friends and

family, and who are not in receipt of support.


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

the number of asylum seekers registered to attend English for Speakers of Other

Languages classes in London (a) six months and (b) 12 months after arriving in the UK in

each of the last three years.




Caroline Nokes:

The Department of Education funds English language provision through the Adult

Education Budget. This is allocated to local providers to use in line with local needs.

Government does not centrally hold data on the number of asylum seekers accessing

English language provision in different regions by date of arrival.

Asylum: Housing


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

ensure that the new asylum seeker accommodation contracts will deliver accommodation

of a good standard and (b) support people to make a successful transition from asylum-

seeking to refugee status.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions will be in the

new asylum accommodation contracts to ensure that successful asylum applicants do not

become destitute when they leave dispersal accommodation.

Caroline Nokes:

The new arrangements for asylum accommodation and support contracts have been

designed to improve the overall service by providing a more accessible and easy to

navigate system which ensures the safety, security and welfare of service users and

their host communities.

Accommodation Providers will continue to be required to provide safe, habitable, fit

for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent

Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or lo-cal

housing legislation.

Providers will also have a contractual duty to notify the local authority of the potential

need to provide housing where a person in that accommodation is granted refugee

status, including any other information about the refugee’s needs that the Local

Authority will need to help them provide accommodation before their support ceases.

These services will be delivered alongside other existing cross government initiatives

to improve the transfer of information with Local Authorities including the Post Grant

Appointments Service and the Local Authority Asylum Support Liaison Offices

(LAASLO) pilot that aim to secure better outcomes for refugees within their move on

period.


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

support local authorities during the transition to new asylum accommodation contracts.

Caroline Nokes:

As activity to tender and procure the new asylum accommodation and support

contracts comes to a conclusion, there will be a significant increase in our




engagement with partners and stakeholders to plan and execute the transition to the

services.

Work to plan for the mobilisation and transition has been underway for some time and

is supported by dedicated central and regional teams who will engage on a local

basis with all strategic stakeholders including Local Authorities, these plans will

include the establishment of regional working groups and formal joint engagement

boards to ensure all parties are involved and able to understand and support the

appointed providers’ solution.

The new asylum accommodation and support contracts will also be underpinned by

collaborative principles that require Providers to develop close working relationships

with stakeholders to support the effective coordination of local services delivery and

help secure the safety and welfare of service users.

Borders: France

Jeff Smith: [182822]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9

October 2018 to Question 173617 on Asylum: Dunkirk, what programmes the

Government is funding to improve security at the shared border in northern France.

Caroline Nokes:

Working closely with French partners over the last 4 years, the UK has in-vested

almost €150M to enhance border security in Northern France. This work has included

physical security measures at all three Juxtaposed ports of Calais, Dunkirk and

Coquelles (Eurotunnel), consisting of a com-bination of high security fencing, lighting,

CCTV and perimeter detection technologies. Alongside this there has been the

installation of secure parking areas for HGV’s and coaches to protect them and to

ensure the fluidity of the approach roads.

The Sandhurst Treaty, signed by the Prime Minister in January 2018, demonstrates

the ongoing enhanced joint action by the UK and France to manage our shared

border and tackle organised immigration crime. This includes a commitment from the

UK to invest an additional £44.5m to pro-tect the shared border. Part of this is being

spent to reinforce the security measures in and around smaller ports in northern

France, including Dunkirk and Ouistreham near Caen. The Sandhurst Treaty funding

has also been used to establish the Joint Information and Coordination Cen-tre

(‘CCIC’), which will facilitate cooperation between law enforcement bodies on

combatting illegal migration.

The UK has established the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce which brings

together officers from Border Force, the National Crime Agency, Immigration

Enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Taskforce seeks to use every

opportunity, whether that be in source countries, countries migrants travel through or

in Europe to identify and tackle organised crime groups involved in organised

immigration crime.


Fire and Rescue Services and Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles


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

Department made of the use of drones by the Police and Fire Services of the

effectiveness of those services in relation to (a) difficult to reach areas, (b) incidents

involving a danger to life and limb and (c) public disorder events.

Mr Nick Hurd:

Decisions to use drones and in which circumstances are operational matters for the

Police and Fire and Rescue services.

The National Police Chief’s Council is undertaking a review of Police Air Support

which is considering how drones should be used alongside manned aircraft.

Fraud

Jo Stevens: [182840]

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

of the adequacy of reporting levels for (a) financial and (b) consumer fraud.

Mr Ben Wallace:

Police recorded crime and Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates are not

broken down by (a) financial and (b) consumer fraud. There is a gap between the

levels of police recorded fraud and the estimated number of frauds in the Crime

Survey.

The City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud, are working with

businesses to increase the level of reporting to Action Fraud and the new IT system

for Action Fraud, which went live earlier this month, will make it easier for businesses

and individuals to report incidents of fraud.

Fraud: Internet



of the adequacy of intelligence sharing online fraud between the Police and companies

that host shared online markets of metadata.

Mr Ben Wallace:

The assessment of the adequacy of intelligence is an operational matter for the

police. Businesses and individuals are able to report information and intelligence

about frauds and cyber crimes to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud

and cyber crime.




Hate Crime: Internet


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

holds on the online platforms that hate crime offences have been perpetrated on.

Victoria Atkins:

The Home Office does not collect this information centrally. However, the most recent

assessment of the evidence is available on GOV.UK:

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

ent_data/file/748140/hate-crime-a-thematic-review-of-the-current-evidence-oct2018-

horr102.pdf.

A joint Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Home Office White Paper

will be published this winter, which will set out a range of legislative and non-

legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms. Potential areas where

we will consider legislating include transparency report-ing to outline the response

and prevalence of harms, including hate crime, on online platforms.

Human Trafficking: Standards

Yvette Cooper: [182689]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of referrals to

the National Referral Mechanism received a reasonable grounds decision within five

working days, and what the timeframe was for the remainder of the referrals in (a) 2016

and (b) 2017.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of referrals to

the National Referral Mechanism received a conclusive grounds decision during the 45-

day recovery and reflection period; and what the timeframe was for decisions to be made

on the remainder of referrals in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Victoria Atkins:

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for publishing National Referral

Mechanism (NRM) data and does so on a quarterly basis.

The NCA does not publish data about the timescales for reaching reasonable

grounds or conclusive grounds decisions. No NRM decisions are made during a

potential victim’s 45 day reflection and recovery period.

Published data on the referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is

available via the following link:

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-

statistics.

Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern

Slavery





http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.



https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/749346/2018_UK_Annual_Report_on_Modern_Slavery.pdf


ent_data/file/749346/2018_UK_Annual_Report_on_Modern_Slavery.pdf which was

published on 18 October 2018.

Human Trafficking: Undocumented Workers

Mike Amesbury: [181302]

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

Department has made of the ability of UK Border Force to identify and punish people who

regularly exploit and traffick illegal workers into the UK.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government is committed to protecting the vulnerable. At the primary checkpoint,

Border Force Officers have the unique advantage of being the first point of contact

with UK authorities for many vulnerable children and adults as well as the criminals

who traffic them.

All Border Force staff receive training in how to spot indicators of modern slavery for

both victims and traffickers. In addition to this specialist safeguarding teams with

enhanced skills provide advice to colleagues on this area of work.

Intelligence-led operations to disrupt traffickers and protect victims is the key to

Border Force’s response to the threat of Modern Slavery. Through the Modern

Slavery Threat Group, Border Force work alongside UKVI, IE and other law

enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt modern slavery offenders.”

If a suspected trafficker is encountered by Border Force staff this is referred to

colleagues in Immigration Enforcement, NCA or the police for further investigation

and prosecution.

The responsibility for investigation and prosecution does not sit with Border Force.

Human Trafficking: Victims


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationalities were of

victims in receipt of positive conclusive grounds decisions made through the National

Referral Mechanism; and what the nationalities were of those people who were under the

age of 18 in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationalities were of

victims in receipt of negative conclusive grounds decisions made through the National

Referral Mechanism; and what the nationalities were of those people who were under the

age of 18 in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Victoria Atkins:

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for publishing National Referral

Mechanism (NRM) data and does so on a quarterly basis.





Published data on the referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is

available via the following link:

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-

statistics. The 2017 Annual Report of NRM statistics includes data on the outcomes

of NRM decisions by nationality for referrals made in 2017, at Annex G.

Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern

Slavery


ent_data/file/749346/2018_UK_Annual_Report_on_Modern_Slavery.pdf which was

published on 18 October 2018.

Knives: Crime


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

Department has made of the causes of the increase in the level of knife crime.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government is very concerned about the increase in knife crime and the

devastating impact it has on victims, their families and communities. That is why we

published the Serious Violence Strategy in April setting out action to tackle knife

crime including new legislation in the Offensive Weapons Bill, the launch of the anti-

knife crime Community Fund to provide grants to local initiatives, the #knifefree

media campaign, and continuing police action under Operation Sceptre. The strategy

outlines an ambitious programme and is based on evidence about the trends and

drivers of serious violence and analysis of what works in terms of interventions.

Our analysis clearly points to a range of factors driving increases in serious violence

including improvements in police recording, but changes in the drugs market is a key

driver of recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide. Our multi agency

approach means that the strategy is not solely focused on law enforcement, but

depends also on partnerships across a number of sectors such as education, health,

social services, housing, youth services, victim services and others. In particular, the

strategy stresses the importance of early intervention to tackle the root causes of

serious violence and provide young people with the skills and resilience to lead

productive lives free from violence, supported by the new £22 million Early

Intervention Youth Fund and the recently announced £200 million Youth Endowment

Fund.

Migrant Workers



of the potential effect of a net reduction in low-skilled immigration on the viability of

industries reliant on low-skilled labour.

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics









Caroline Nokes:

We commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to make an economic

assessment of the UK’s future immigration needs. We have always been clear that

the future immigration system will be based on evidence and we will publish a White

Paper setting out plans for the future immigration system later this year.

National Police Air Service

Louise Haigh: [180820]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has

received from the National Police Air Service on force contributions to that Service.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a collaboration of police forces. The level

of financial contribution made by individual forces to the service is a matter for Police

and Crime Commissioners and the NPAS Strategic Board.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Staff

Louise Haigh: [182842]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has

received representations from the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the number of

additional police officers that Service will require when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd:

It is entirely responsible and appropriate that we prepare for every eventuality and my

officials in the Home Office are working closely with policing colleagues, including

with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, to determine the impact of EU Exit on

policing and plan accordingly.

Police: Misconduct

Mr Steve Reed: [182782]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many gross misconduct

charges have been brought against police officers in relation to a death (a) during and (b)

after police contact since financial year 2009-10.



charges have been upheld against police officers in relation to a death (a) during and (b)

after police contact since financial year 2009-10.



charges have resulted in the dismissal of police officers in relation to a death (a) during

and be (b) police contact since the financial year 2009-10.







To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Independent Office

for Police Conduct investigations in relation to a death (a) during and (b) after police

contact have led to a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service since financial year 2009-

10.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Independent Office

for Police Conduct investigations in relation to a death during or following police contact

have led to charges being brought by the CPS since the financial year 2009-10.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion

of charges brought by the CPS in relation to a death during or following police contact

how many have led to a conviction since the financial year 2009-10.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not hold this data. It collects and publishes infor-mation on the

number of cases and outcomes of police misconduct and crim-inal investigations in

England and Wales. This information was first collected for the 2015/16 financial

period. The latest data for 2015/16 and 2016/17 can be found in the misconduct

section of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

The IOPC publishes its own official national statistics on deaths during or fol-lowing

police contact annually. It also holds some data on investigation out-comes. I have

asked the Director General of the IOPC to write to the Hon. Member in response to

these questions. I shall arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the House of

Commons library.

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to review the

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Victoria Atkins:

The Home Office will publish a review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 in

November 2018, 30 months after the introduction of the Act.

Refugees: Greater London


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding his

Department has provided to support newly-recognised refugees in London when they

have moved out of asylum dispersal accommodation in each of the last three years.






Caroline Nokes:

Newly recognised refugees have immediate access to the labour market and can

access a range of mainstream services, including social welfare benefits, healthcare,

and English language tuition.

Funding for these services is provided by the relevant Departments.

UK Border Force: Staff

Mike Amesbury: [181301]

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

Department has made of the effect of recent reductions in the number of staff in Border

Force on its ability to carry out operations to tackle illegal workers and people trafficking

in the UK.

Caroline Nokes:

We have always been clear that Border Force has the resources it needs to secure

the border.

Border Force staffing figures are published in the Home Office Annual Report. This

information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-

office-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018

Border Force also recently launched a nationwide recruitment campaign for officers

across many of its ports and airport locations campaign to develop a recruitment

pipeline of up to 1,000 officers, which will support Border Force to respond flexibly to

any emerging requirements including backfilling promptly against BAU attrition.

This is in addition to the recruitment of a further 300 frontline officers to allow existing

staff to be trained in new requirements ahead of EU Exit

This campaign will develop a pipeline for ongoing recruitment across various port

locations as part of Border Force’s multi-year workforce plan.

All frontline officers undertake training in keeping children safe, Section 55

safeguarding responsibilities, trafficking indicators, the National Referral Mechanism

(NRM), FGM and Modern Slavery. Border Force also has a network of specially

trained Safeguarding and Modern Slavery officers who receive a minimum of 3 days

specialist training. BF internal performance data shows a consistent increase in

identification of potential victims of Modern Slavery year on year. This is attributable

to a mixture of training and raised awareness levels due to periods of intensification

with other law enforcement partners to target exploitation.

UK Visas and Immigration

Jessica Morden: [182725]


October 2018 to Question 180674 on Home Office: staff, how many units within UK Visas

and Immigration process post-decision casework; and what category of application each

unit processes.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018






October 2018 to Question 180674 on Home Office: staff, where each unit that processes

post-decision casework in UK Visas and Immigration is located.

Caroline Nokes:

There are 6 units (this is based on a unit as a whole not individual teams) within UK

Visa and Immigration that complete post decision casework. List below –

• Asylum • Administrative Review • Refused Case Management • Family Human

Rights Unit • European & Settlement Casework • International

Each unit is responsible for processing all categories of post decision casework

relevant to their business areas, these include the following –

• Administrative reviews • Appeals implementation • Appeals review • Varying

conditions of leave • Further submissions • Reconsideration of decisions •

Supplementary decisions • Curtailment • Family reunion • Further representations

These units are located in the following locations –

• Liverpool • Newcastle • Manchester • Sheffield • Croydon • Beijing • Bogota • Manila

• Riyadh • Warsaw • Istanbul • Pretoria • Chennai • Abu Dhabi • Amman • New Delhi

UK Visas and Immigration: Stoke on Trent

Ruth Smeeth: [182860]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of

properties in Stoke-on-Trent that were considered as alternative locations for the Stoke-

on-Trent Reporting Centre.

Caroline Nokes:

Our estates partners were commissioned to identify an alternative site for reporting

functions in Stoke that provided adequate access to the public, security and

accommodation that would enable us to provide a good level of service to the

reporting population. Our partners were unable to locate any such suitable premises

in the local area.

Visas: Overseas Students


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student study visas

were refused in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes:

Information on the number of study entry clearance visas granted, and refused, is

published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest

edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-

ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas




HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Cars

Shabana Mahmood: [182731]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local government powers to

tackle car cruising.



plans he has to help local authorities tackle car cruising.



discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on tackling car cruising.

Rishi Sunak:

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has not met

the Secretary of State for Justice to discuss car cruising.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local

authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible powers that they can use

to respond quickly and effectively to different forms of anti-social and nuisance

behaviour.

The powers include the Community Protection Notice which can be used by the

police or the local authority to deal with particular problems or nuisances, including

noise related, that are having a persistent or continuing and detrimental effect on the

quality of life of those in the locality; the Civil Injunction which allows the police, local

councils and other local agencies to apply to the court for an injunction against an

individual or individuals in a range of circumstances where their behaviour is causing,

or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress; a Criminal Behaviour Order which

can be issued by a court against an individual convicted of an offence to stop the

behaviour of the most destructive individuals; a Public Spaces Protection Order which

councils can issue to stop people committing anti-social behaviour in a public space;

a Dispersal Power which can be used by the police to move-on problem groups or

individuals; and a Closure Power which the police and councils can use to close

premises that are a magnet for trouble.

The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies

to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances which

apply.

The police also have the power under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to

seize vehicles. This can be as a result of using a vehicle in a careless and

inconsiderate manner, contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988, and in a manner

causing alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. Before so doing, a

constable is required to give a warning that the vehicle will be seized unless the




behaviour stops. The only exception is where a warning is impractical, or has already

been given on that occasion, or given to the same person within the previous 12

months. The requirement for a warning provides people with the chance to stop their

behaviour of their own accord and ensures the power of seizure is only used when

necessary. Seizure, if carried out, puts an immediate stop to the behaviour in

question. The seizure is not permanent: the owner can reclaim the vehicle on

payment of prescribed removal and storage charges.

Any assessment of the effectiveness of these powers would be a matter for the Home

Office.

Estate Agents: Disclosure of Information

Robert Halfon: [182744]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether

estate agents are required to disclose the criminal convictions of a previous occupant of a

property to a potential new occupant.

Kit Malthouse:

National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team have published guidance in this

area. It would depend on the type, seriousness and age of the convictions. The

estate agent would need to determine whether the conviction would have a material

impact on the purchaser's future in the property. For example, would they have paid

the asking price, or bought the property in the first place had they known.

Hospitals: Insulation

Chris Elmore: [180832]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to Written Statement of 9 October 2018 on Building safety update, HCWS976, whether

he plans to extend the ban on combustible materials to all hospitals irrespective of height.

Kit Malthouse:

The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top

storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building

Regulation’s guidance. Following analysis of consultation responses we also included

hospitals above 18 metres. The majority of respondents to the consultation showed

support for this height threshold and it will be used as the basis for the ban to be

consistent with current guidance. The Government will review this height threshold as

part of the wider technical review of the building regulations for fire safety set to start

in the Autumn.

The NHS already has a very good record of fire safety, but cannot remain

complacent. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, NHS

organisations must, as far as is reasonably practicable, make sure that everyone on

the premises, or nearby, can escape safely if there is a fire. Therefore, they will

consider the ban on combustible cladding as part of the regular fire risk assessments



they carry out on their estate when they have new build or refurbishment. This will

include whether it applies to all walls irrespective of height of the hospital.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid

Kate Osamor: [182234]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her

Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Cameroon.

Penny Mordaunt:

There are significant humanitarian needs in Cameroon with over 460,000 people

displaced by recent violence in the Anglophone regions, in addition to the 700,000

people displaced as a result of insecurity both in the far north around Lake Chad and

in the Central African Republic. More than 3.3 million people are in need of

humanitarian assistance. We are providing £5.5 million in humanitarian support to

Cameroon this year, including for protection, nutrition, health, food security and

livelihoods.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff her

Department has sent to Cameroon to assess the humanitarian situation in that country.

Penny Mordaunt:

We have a humanitarian adviser based in Cameroon who works with partners to

regularly assess the humanitarian situation. We are also funding a protection adviser

in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to work on

the Anglophone Crisis.

Developing Countries: Climate Change


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department

is taking to ensure that the UK meets sustainable development goal 13 on climate

change.

Penny Mordaunt:

The UK played a key role in establishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

and we are determined to be at the forefront of delivering them.

To support developing countries to respond to the challenges of climate change, the

UK has pledged to provide at least £5.8bn of International Climate Finance between

2016/17 and 2020/21. Since 2011 UK climate investments have supported 47 million

people to cope with the effects of climate change and provided 17 million people with

improved access to clean energy.




The UK is also working with the UN to lead international efforts on resilience for the

UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in 2019.

Ethiopia: Poliomyelitis

Dr Philippa Whitford: [182815]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has

made of the ability of Ethiopia to maintain its polio vaccine programme after the Global

Polio Eradication Initiative in that country has ended.

Harriett Baldwin:

Ethiopia was declared polio-free in 2014 and current estimates report that 76% of

children in Ethiopia are receiving three doses of polio vaccine. The Global Polio

Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is supporting Ethiopia with technical assistance to

strengthen surveillance systems and with supplementary immunisation campaigns to

mitigate the risk of importation from neighbouring countries that are experiencing

outbreaks.

It is a key priority for the UK that countries are supported to transition polio funded

assets to the national government and partner organisations after GPEI sunsets upon

global eradication. Part of the UK’s funding to the World Health Organization (WHO)

is conditional on this being met.

Ethiopia has a costed polio transition plan in place and the UK will continue to

monitor WHO’s support to Ethiopia for implementing this plan. The UK is also

providing financial and technical support to strengthen Ethiopia’s health system to

ensure the country remains polio free.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

UK Export Finance

Barry Gardiner: [182659]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much of the £3 billion of UK

Export Finance available for direct lending has been allocated.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the £3 billion available

under UK Export Finance's Direct Lending Facility will be replenished as previous loans

are repaid.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which (a) countries and (b)

companies have received finance from the Direct Lending Facility and at what amount in

the last 12 months.





Graham Stuart:

Approximately £1.745bn of the £3bn available under UK Export Finance’s (UKEF)

Direct Lending Facility has been committed.

UKEF’s £3bn Direct Lending Facility is recyclable, so that when the principal is

repaid, it can then be re-lent for other projects in the future.

Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the

companies it has supported, the export country, the type of support provided and the

amount of support provided on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts

(ARA) which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. The

most recent ARA covers the Financial Year 2017-18.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-

accounts-2017-to-2018

Information for the remainder of 2018 will be published in UKEF’s ARA, 2018-19.

JUSTICE

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Angela Smith: [181197]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted under the

(a) Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (b) Deer Act 1991 and (c) Wild Mammals (Protection)

Act 1996 in 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: [181198]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were found guilty of offences

under the (a) Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (b) Deer Act 1991, (c) Wild Mammals

(Protection) Act 1996 and (d) Hunting Act 2004 in 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart:

The number of people prosecuted and convicted for offences under the Protection of

Badgers Act 1992, Deer Act 1991, Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and Hunting

Act 2004 in 2017 can be found in published ‘Experimental statistics: Principal offence

proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’ available here:


ent_data/file/738814/HO-Code-Tool-2017.xlsx

The specific offences to search for are:

‘Summary offences under the Deer Act 1991 – e.g. taking, injuring or killing deer’

(offence code: 12111)

‘Offences under the Hunting Act 2004 ’

‘Hunting a wild mammal with a dog’ (offence code: 12113)

‘Knowingly permitting land to be entered or used in the course of hunting a wild

mammal with dogs’ (12114)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018





‘Knowingly permitting a dog to be used in the course of hunting a wild mammal’

(12115)

‘Participating in a hare coursing event’ (12116)

‘Attending a hare coursing event’ (12117)

‘Knowingly facilitating a hare coursing event’ (12118)

‘Permitting land to be used for the purpose of a hare coursing event’ (12119),

‘Entering a dog for a hare coursing event’, ‘Permitting a dog to be entered for a

hare coursing event’, ‘Controlling or handling a dog at a hare coursing event’ (all

12120)

‘Offences under Protection of Badgers Act 1992’ – ‘offences of cruelty to badgers

and special protection for badgers and their setts’ (offence code: 10822)[1]

‘Offences under Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996’ – ‘cruelty to a wild

mammal’ (offence code: 10825)

Where there are no codes available for the year 2017 (or other years), this means

that there have been no prosecutions or convictions under that offence code in that

year.

[1] Offences under both the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and Protection of Badgers Act

1992 should not be included as it is not possible to identify whether all of the

individual offences within this offence group are related to badgers.

Antisocial Behaviour: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: [182801]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were fined for late payment of

penalty notice for disorder in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer:

The information requested is not held centrally.

Berwyn Prison


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2018

to Question 171712, if he will publish his Department's plan for bringing HMP Berwyn up

to full capacity.

Edward Argar:

HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, North Wales opened on 27 February 2017, and when fully

operational, will create 2,106 modern and efficient prison places holding category C

men. The latest data for Berwyn (published September 2018) shows a population of

just over 1170 and is currently ramping up its population as part of its safe

mobilisation.



When the prison is at full capacity it will be the largest prison in the UK therefore the

ramp up of population needs to affiliate with the continual recruitment, training and

attrition of staff and the number of purposeful activity spaces available. This is

paramount to provide an environment safe for those who work and reside within the

prison whilst delivering a rehabilitative purpose.

Berwyn Prison: Repairs and Maintenance


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many reports of (a) fault with electricity, (b)

fault with heating and (c) structural damage have been made at HMP Berwyn since its

opening.

Edward Argar:

Since the opening of HMP Berwyn in February 2017 there have been four reported

faults with electricity, two reported faults with heating and one report of structural

damage. All the reported faults were dealt with promptly, with the causes identified

and where applicable the potential for other similar issues investigated.

HMP Berwyn is a key part of our investment to reform and modernise the prison

estate and it is performing well. In their annual report released this July the

Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Berwyn said that the Ministry of Justice was to

be applauded for supporting the building and operation of a new establishment with a

new progressive regime.

Community Rehabilitation Companies


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report by HM Inspectorate

of Probation entitled Domestic abuse: the work undertaken by Community Rehabilitation

Companies (CRCs), published in September 2018, what assessment he has made of the

quality of care provided by CRCs as a result of that report's conclusions.

Edward Argar:

We take seriously the findings of the HM Inspectorate of Probation report on the work

undertaken by Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) in relation to domestic

abuse. We will publish a detailed action plan in November to address the

recommendations made by the Inspectorate, and we require CRCs to develop their

own robust action plans in response to specific recommendations. These plans will

be closely monitored by the department’s contract management assurance and

governance process.

Our reforms to probation mean we are now monitoring around 40,000 offenders who

would previously have been released with no supervision at all. However, we have

been clear that CRCs need to improve across a range of areas. In September we

concluded a public consultation on proposals to end current CRC contracts early and

introduce new arrangements for delivering probation services. As part of these



changes we are considering how to ensure probation plays its full part in tackling

domestic abuse and protecting victims.

Detainees: ICT


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential

merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make it a criminal offence to knowingly

communicate with a person detained in the criminal justice system using an electronic

communications system.

Edward Argar:

It is already an offence to have or use a mobile phone in prison without authorisation.

We therefore have no plans to create a new offence of knowingly communicating with

someone in the criminal justice system using devices such as mobile phones.

We are taking urgent and decisive action to tackle the threat of illegal phones

including detection dogs, body scanners and intelligence-led searches. We also

continue to utilise Telecommunications Restriction Orders to block specific mobile

phones being used in prisons.

To reduce demand for illicit mobile phones, we are also expanding the roll out of in-

cell telephones. These operate under strict controls with the aim of improving

rehabilitation, cutting crime and protecting the public.

Offences Against Children: Sentencing

Sarah Champion: [180742]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October to

Question 176311 on Offences Against Children: Sentencing, of the 3,234 people given

custodial sentences in 2017 how many were (a) men and (b) women.



Question 176311, how many people were given prison sentences for child sexual abuse

offences of (a) up to one year, (b) one to five years, (c) five to 10 years and (d) 10 years

or more by plea in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Edward Argar:

Of the 3,234 offenders who received immediate custodial sentences at the Crown

Court in 2017 for child sexual abuse offences, 3,186 were male and 48 were female.

This information can be found in Table 1.

The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for child sexual abuse

offences at the Crown Court between 2010 and 2016 can be found in Table 2. This

information is broken down by sentences of up to and including one year, over one

year up to and including five years, over five years and up to and including ten years,

over ten years and less than life, and life sentence. Information on plea entered is

provided for offenders sentenced at the Crown Court only and is not provided for




offenders sentenced at a magistrates’ court as this information is not held centrally

within the Court Proceedings Database.

Attachments:

1. Table one & Table two [PQs 180742 180743 Response Table (002).xlsx]



Question 176311, how many of the 3,234 people who were given prison sentences for

child sexual abuse offences in 2017 had previously been convicted of other child sexual

abuse offences.

Rory Stewart:

Information on how many people who were sentenced to immediate custody for child

sexual abuse offences at the Crown Court in 2017 had previously been convicted of

other child sexual abuse offences is not held centrally and could only be obtained at

disproportionate cost.

Prisoners' Release: Females


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to (a) conduct a review on the

number of deaths of women following release from prison and (b) seek to identify his

Department can take to protect women upon release.

Edward Argar:

We publish annual statistics on deaths of offenders in the community, which include

the deaths of women under post-release supervision. The data for 2017-18 was

published on 25 October 2018. It shows that 40 women under post-release

supervision died in 2017-18, down from 44 in 2016-17.

It is existing policy for all such deaths to be reviewed. Probation providers are

required to examine the circumstances of each death and to determine whether the

way that they work with offenders could be improved in order to make future deaths

less likely. We are considering whether this requirement could be strengthened,

particularly to improve the sharing of learning nationally.

On 27 June we published our strategy for female offenders, which sets out our vision

and plan to improve outcomes for women both in the community and in custody. A

key theme in the strategy is the need for a joined-up approach to addressing female

offenders’ often complex needs. We know that we will make progress in meeting

these needs only by adopting a partnership approach at both national and local level.

We hope to publish our National Concordat on Female Offenders by the end of the

year. This will be a cross-governmental statement of intent and commitment to

improve the outcomes for female offenders in a holistic, whole-systems approach.



Prisoners: Self-harm


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the by HM Prison and

Probation Service entitled: Self-harm by adult men in prison: A rapid evidence

assessment, published in September 2018, whether he plans to undertake further

research to explore the potential link between self-harm and violence or aggression in

male prisoners as recommended in that report.

Edward Argar:

The link between self-harm and violence is well established and informs our existing

policy. For instance, the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) case

management process for prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide already includes an

enhanced case management process for use where prisoners pose a risk of harm to

others, as well as to themselves.

We continue to develop our work with this link in mind. The Prison Safety Programme

includes a range of measures designed to address both violence and suicide and

self-harm in our prisons. A study of individuals engaged in ‘dual harm’ (both to

themselves and to others) is taking place in a number of prisons, and the early

findings have been used to inform the programme.

Small Claims: Electronic Government

Sir Oliver Heald: [181532]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of claims made

through the online money claims service have been struck out since that service was

launched; and what the corresponding figures are for money claims under £10,000 filed

at court in the same time period.

Lucy Frazer:

This information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As the

Online Civil Money Claims service progresses and supports the complete journey for

civil money claims, it will be able to capture a much wider range of data about the

stages that cases reach and the variation of outcomes.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Bury

James Frith: [181312]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many supported bus services there have

been in Bury in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Up until 31 December 2013 Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) was paid directly

to bus operators and was not split between commercially run or subsidised bus

services. We are therefore unable to provide figures for this period. From 1 January




2014 local authorities have received funding equivalent to the level of BSOG which

would otherwise have been paid to operators for running subsidised services in 2014.

Details of the amounts paid to local authorities each year can be found on the

“Payments to Local Authorities” tab of the relevant spreadsheets published at

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bus-services-grants-and-funding#bsog-

spend’

James Frith: [181313]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of trends in

the (a) number and (b) frequency of bus services serving Bury since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Department does not hold any data on the number and frequency of bus

services in Bury. The lowest level geography available is upper tier local authority.

Cycling

Meg Hillier: [181212]

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

extend cycling’s popularity to groups that are currently under-represented.

Jesse Norman:

The Government’s plans to promote cycling and walking are set out in the statutory

Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017. The Strategy’s

ambition is to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys, or as

part of a longer journey. The Strategy includes a commitment to monitor the uptake of

cycling by age, gender, ethnicity and mobility.

The Department recognises that the take-up of cycling is lower among some groups

than others, as shown by the 2017 walking and cycling statistics for England,

published in a fact sheet on 30 August 2018. For some under-represented groups,

concerns about safety are a major barrier to taking up cycling. The Department

announced on 18 October that it will be reviewing those elements of the Highway

Code that relate to cycling and walking. It will also publish later this year its full

response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy safety review, which will

include further measures to make cycling safer and hence more attractive to those

who are not regular cyclists.

The Department has also provided funding for initiatives including Cycling UK’s Big

Bike Revival campaign which has helped to promote cycling among under-

represented groups, and to make it a safe, easy and affordable travel option for all.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Mr Gavin Shuker: [180710]

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

of the Rail Review announced on 11 October 2018 on the timing of the East Midlands

franchise process; and if he will make a statement.




Joseph Johnson:

When the Rail Review was announced on 20 September 2018 the Government made

clear in its statement that, with the exception of the Cross Country franchise, all other

ongoing franchise competitions (including the East Midlands franchise) and other live

rail projects are continuing as planned.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Victoria Prentis: [180775]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the

mitigation measures agreed by HS2 Ltd to reduce the negative effect on biodiversity are

(a) secured for the duration of the project and (b) monitored.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

HS2 Information Paper E2 outlines how ecological impacts have been assessed and

how they will be mitigated or compensated for during the construction of Phase One

of HS2. It refers to the commitment to seek no net loss to biodiversity. Mitigation

measures include the creation of habitat to maintain the populations of protected

species. New areas of woodland, grassland, heathland and ponds will be created.

A route-wide monitoring strategy will be put in place. HS2 Ltd is responsible for

maintaining and monitoring the new or managed habitat for a sufficient period to

ensure that the nature conservation objectives are achieved. Indicative periods for

the management and monitoring of habitats are set out in HS2 Information Paper

E26. These include plans to monitor replacement woodland for up to 50 years.

A similar approach is being adopted for future phases of the scheme.

Victoria Prentis: [180776]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to

ensure that High Speed Two does not cause the death of barn owls.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

HS2 Ltd has produced a barn owl mitigation plan to manage and reduce the

anticipated significant effects to barn owls caused by construction and operation of

the Phase One scheme. The plan has been developed by a team of professional

ecologists, including a barn owl expert, and has been informed by additional research

undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology.

The plan assumes that 80 pairs are affected by the Phase One scheme and consists

of measures to: avoid disturbance to the species during construction; reduce the

collision risk of the railway to the birds; provide new artificial nesting sites at a safe

distance from the railway; and monitor the new nesting sites to ensure uptake by barn

owls.

It is expected that the barn owl mitigation plan will be expanded and refined for future

phases of HS2.


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/672401/E26_-__Indicative_Periods_Management_and_Monitoring_of_Habitats_v1.2__2_.pdf




Motor Vehicles: Insurance


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the

Financial Conduct Authority on the regulation of car insurance premiums.

Jesse Norman:

There has been no recent discussion with the Financial Conduct Authority on car

insurance premiums.

Neston Station


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to visit Neston train

station.

Joseph Johnson:

The Secretary of State regularly visits train stations across the country, of which there

are over 2,500 in Great Britain. There are no plans to visit Neston station at this

current time.

Northern Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: [181276]

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

Arriva Rail North has met the obligations and provisions of its franchise.

Joseph Johnson:

Currently Arriva Rail North has received one enforcement notice relating to

environmental training. The Rail North Partnership constantly monitors Arriva Rail

North’s compliance with the obligations within the Franchise Agreement.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what adjustments his Department has made

to the provisions of the Arriva Rail North franchise in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Joseph Johnson:

Changes to franchise agreements can be found on the public version of the

Franchise Agreement which can be found on the Department’s website.


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

effectiveness of the provisions of the Northern Rail franchise to protect the operator

against falling passenger numbers.

Joseph Johnson:

There are no provisions in the Northern Franchise Agreement to protect the operator

against falling passenger numbers.







To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what adjustments he has made to the

provisions of the Northern Rail franchise that provide protection to the operator against

falling passenger numbers.

Joseph Johnson:

As there are no provisions in the Franchise Agreement to protect the operator against

falling passenger number, no adjustments have been made.

Northern: Subsidies


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of the subsidy his

Department provided to Arriva Rail North in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.


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

contribution in premiums to the public purse from First Transpennine in (a) 2016, (b) 2017

and (c) 2018.

Joseph Johnson:

Statistics published annually by the Office of Rail and Road provide the total premium

or subsidy for train operating companies. Figures are available on a financial year

basis (April to March) for Arriva Northern and First TransPennine Express from 2016-

17.

2016-17 2017-18

Arriva Northern (£ millions) 279.0 281.8

First TransPennine Express (£ millions) -2.0 6.1

A positive value represents an overall subsidy paid to the train operator, whereas a

negative value represents an overall premium paid to government.

Railways: Franchises


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of

the cost to the public purse of the franchise competitions for (a) Southeastern, (b) East

Midlands Trains and (c) West Cost trains.

Joseph Johnson:

The spend to date from the inception of each franchising project, plus forecast future

spend, is shown in the table below. These figures are primarily adviser costs

(financial, technical and legal) plus contingent labour. Franchises are complex

transactions and the expenditure helps deliver a robust commercial position,

passenger benefits and taxpayer value over the franchise life. The recently





announced Rail Review being led by Keith Williams will consider all parts of the rail

industry, from the current franchising system and industry structures, to accountability

and value for money for passengers and taxpayers.

COMPETITION SPEND TO DATE

FORECAST TO

MARCH 19

ESTIMATED COST

TO THE PUBLIC

PURSE

a) South Eastern 5,558,025.52 926,620.00 6,484,645.52

b) East Midlands 3,686,461.89 2,476,040.00 6,162,501.89

c) West Coast 12,444,887.71 2,922,110.00 15,366,997.71

Total 21,689,375.12 6,324,770.00 28,014,145.12

Severn River Crossing: Tolls


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff facing redundancy as a result

of the removal of tolls have (a) been offered and (b) undertaken and completed retraining

since Highways England took over control of the Severn bridges.

Jesse Norman:

The cessation of tolling at the Severn Bridges will remove the need for staff roles that

are involved directly in frontline tolling operations or back office support. On 12

October 2018, Highways England notified those affected that they were at potential

risk of redundancy, and commenced a formal minimum 45 day consultation period

with recognised Trade Unions and individuals to determine those interested in

redeployment and outplacement learning. This will include practical training,

emotional and coaching support and opportunities for individuals. Highways England

will undertake and complete outplacement learning and support following completion

of this current consultation process for those individuals who require this.

TREASURY

Carers: Welfare Tax Credits

Karin Smyth: [180796]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to lay legislative

proposals before the House to change the tax credit sequencing rules applied to non-

parental carers.



Elizabeth Truss:

HM Treasury continues to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions

(DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to bring these regulations

into force as soon as possible. On 25 July, HMRC and DWP consulted with the

Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) on draft regulations to bring this change

into force. The minutes of that meeting have been published online and can be found

at:


ent_data/file/735203/ssac-minutes-july-2018.pdf.

The government intends to lay these regulations before parliament as soon as

possible.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: [182877]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made for the number of

children with disabilities that are in receipt of tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss:

There are currently 2,290 live Tax-Free Childcare accounts for disabled children.

Corporation Tax

Anneliese Dodds: [182825]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the money to be

accrued to the public purse as a result of the single payment method outlined in the

proposed amendments to Schedule 3ZB to the Tax Management Act 1970 contained in

Clause 37 of the draft Finance Bill.

Mel Stride:

The level of revenue accrued to the public purse as a result of the single payment

method outlined in the proposed amendments to Schedule 3ZB to the Tax

Management Act 1970 is expected to be negligible. The UK already has

comprehensive exit taxation rules, and the change is relatively minor and primarily of

an administrative nature.

More information can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note published on

6 July 2018:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-corporation-tax-exit-

charges

Customs: Warehouses

Dr Lisa Cameron: [181251]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the frequently of inspections of Customs

Warehouses is by HMRC.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/735203/ssac-minutes-july-2018.pdf





https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-corporation-tax-exit-charges




Mel Stride:

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for authorising and monitoring

Customs Warehouses. Compliance checks of Customs Warehouses are conducted

as part of a flexible, risk-based programme of compliance interventions across the

whole tax and customs system. The frequency of these interventions depends on a

number of factors including the level and nature of the risks identified.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has plans to establish further

Inland pre-clearance sites in addition to the sites being established in Hayes, Middlesex

and Milton Keynes.

Mel Stride:

As part of the UK’s wider approach to tackling customs fraud HMRC and Border

Force perform inland pre-clearance checks targeted at high risk traders. HMRC is

moving its inland pre-clearance operations to new purpose-equipped sites at Hayes

and Milton Keynes as the contracts on current sites come to an end. The

Government will consider the need for further sites as it evolves its approach.

Electronic Cigarettes: VAT

Bob Blackman: [180700]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether e-cigarettes which gain authorisation as

licensed medicines from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will

be taxed at the reduced rate of VAT when sold over the counter.

Mel Stride:

Where the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved

medicinal E-cigarettes as pharmaceutical smoking cessation products, they could be

subject to the 5% VAT if sold over the counter or zero-rated when dispensed on

prescription.

Financial Services: Regulation

Sir Bernard Jenkin: [182073]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many personnel from each financial sector

regulator for which he is responsible have been seconded and for what purpose to a

financial regulator elsewhere in the EU.

John Glen:

The UK’s financial services regulators operate secondment programmes to financial

services firms, regulatory bodies and institutions – including those in the EU and rest

of the world - and do so for various reasons.

The number of personnel seconded and the purpose for doing so is a matter for the

independent regulators.




Government Controlled Companies


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department (a) holds a list of

Government controlled companies which only produce financial reports as small

companies and (b) monitors the risk to the taxpayer of undisclosed contingent liabilities in

Government controlled companies.

Elizabeth Truss:

Government controlled companies, including small companies, must comply with the

applicable requirements in the Companies Act 2006 and follow the financial reporting

principles of the HM Treasury Financial Reporting Manual (except for public

corporations that are not trading funds). This includes the provision of the additional

disclosures required by the Manual where these go beyond the Companies Act. The

Manual applies EU adopted international financial reporting standards (IFRS) as

adapted or interpreted for the public sector. Sections within the Companies Act 2006

define the qualifying criteria for small companies’ regime. The disclosure exemptions

permitted under the small companies’ regime do not generally apply to government

owned companies unless specific approval has been sought by the Relevant

Authority. All entities that follow the Manual, must follow its guidance on the

disclosure of contingent liabilities.

Multinational Companies: Taxation


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was lost to the public purse

as a result of the exemption for regulatory capital in section 259N(3)(b) Chapter 8 Part 6A

Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010 in each year since the introduction

of that exemption.

Mel Stride:

As a matter of corporation tax policy, with the aim of improving financial stability, the

UK allows certain deductions for the costs of regulatory capital. The exemption

referred to helps to ensure that the Hybrid and Other Mismatch Rules act in a way

consistent with this policy. As such, there is no question of any tax revenue being

“lost” as a result of the exemption.

It is not possible to provide details of the tax effect arising from the exemption for

regulatory capital in section 259N(3)(b), Chapter 8, Part 6A of the Taxation

(International and other Provisions) Act 2010.

The Hybrid and other mismatches regime came into force on 1 January 2017. The

majority of corporation tax returns which will reflect the impact of these rules have not

yet been received.



Public Sector: Pay

Peter Dowd: [182847]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what modelling the Treasury has undertaken of

the potential economic effect (a) regionally and (b) nationally of regional pay for public

sector workers.

Elizabeth Truss:

HMT has not undertaken modelling to assess the economic effect of regional pay for

public sector workers.

Revenue and Customs: Blockchain

Chi Onwurah: [182766]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the feasibility

of the use of Blockchain by HMRC after the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride:

HMRC has run a successful proof of concept that has demonstrated the potential

benefits to the department of using Blockchain technology. HMRC continues to work

internally and with other government departments to research whether and how those

benefits might be realised.

Revenue and Customs: East Kilbride


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Financial

Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428 how many and

what proportion of HMRC staff based in Plaza Tower, East Kilbride will (a) transfer to an

HMRC Regional Centre and (b) complete their career in that location.



Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428 how many and

what proportion of HMRC staff in Queensway House, East Kilbride will (a) transfer to an

HMRC Regional Centre and (b) complete their career in that location.



Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428, what estimate

he has made of the savings to the public purse up to 2025 as a result of the HMRC

Building our Future programme.



Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428 what estimate he

has made of the savings to the public purse as a result of the end of the Mapeley

contract.







Mel Stride:

HMRC wants to keep as many employees as possible as it moves to its regional

centres. It has been clear that if someone can move to a regional centre and has the

skills it needs or is able to develop them, there will be a role for them.

In 2015, planning indicated that up to 90% of its workforce across the UK at that time

would either work in a regional centre or see out their career in an HMRC office.

In East Kilbride, updated planning data shows that around 75% of staff in Plaza

Tower and 80% in Queensway House, East Kilbride, will move to the Glasgow

Regional Centre or see out their career in an HMRC office. In East Kilbride data

indicates that 33% of staff in Plaza Tower and 43% in Queensway House are over 50

years of age.

By the time all its regional centres have opened, HMRC still expects the figures to be

near its original forecast.

HMRC will not know the actual position until one-to-one discussions have taken place

with staff which will establish whether an individual can or cannot move.

Moving to regional centres will save around £300 million by 2025. It also avoids

potential additional costs of £75 million per annum from 2021, when the current

contract with Mapeley come to an end.

Revenue and Customs: Holiday Leave


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has plans to impose limits on

staff annual leave during March and April 2019 as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Mel Stride:

HMRC have no plans to limit staff annual leave during March and April 2019 as a

result of the UK leaving the EU.

Revenue and Customs: Staff


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018

to Question 172633 on Revenue and Customs staffing, what assessment has been made

by HMRC on its capacity to ensure that all new recruits will be fully trained by the time

that the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride:

As a large department, we are using a number of levers to resource EU Exit roles

including deployment of current staff and recruitment of new staff. HMRC is well

practised at running large recruitment campaigns for operational delivery staff, and

capacity to train new recruits is routinely built in to resourcing plans. This includes the

number of staff requiring training, the availability of trainers, resources and

infrastructure, and the design of training materials.



Social Enterprises: Tax Allowances


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what time targets have been set for HMRC for

advance approval of Social Investment Tax Relief.

Mel Stride:

Advance assurance applications for investments under the Social Investment Tax

Relief (SITR) scheme are dealt with alongside advance assurance applications for

investments under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed EIS (SEIS)

and by Venture Capital Trusts, as well as statutory compliance statements under the

SITR scheme, the EIS and SEIS.

There are no separate targets for responding to applications under the different

schemes. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) aims to respond to over 80% of

applications within 15 working days and 95% of applications within 40 working days.

HMRC is currently responding to 88% of applications within 15 working days and

97% of applications within 40 working days.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of

Social Investment Tax Relief in each year since 2013.

Mel Stride:

HMRC publishes annual statistics on funds raised through the Social Investment Tax

Relief (SITR) scheme. The latest release is on GOV.UK at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/enterprise-investment-scheme-seed-

enterprise-investment-scheme-and-social-investment-tax-relief-statistics-may-2018

From the introduction of SITR in 2014-15, up to 2016-17, the annual costs of the

relief are estimated to have been less than £5 million per year. Data for 2017-18

onwards are not yet available.

Unemployment


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to

reduce unemployment in constituencies with high levels of unemployment.

Elizabeth Truss:

Our economic plan, reducing the deficit whilst investing in infrastructure and

supporting businesses to grow, has delivered growth in the economy, growth in

employment and growth in wages. The unemployment rate currently stands at 4.0%,

down from 8% in 2010 and the lowest rate since the 1970s. The jobs recovery has

benefitted the whole of the UK, and more than 70% of the increase to employment

since 2010 has been outside of London.



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/enterprise-investment-scheme-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme-and-social-investment-tax-relief-statistics-may-2018




WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the results of the

reclassification of arrears trial run by the Child Maintenance Group; and what plans she

has to change the processes used to collect Child Maintenance arrears as a result of that

exercise.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Child Maintenance Service has not undertaken any recent trials to reclassify

arrears.

Marion Fellows: [182810]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue has been

raised from the £20 fee on applications to the Child Maintenance Service to date.

Justin Tomlinson:

Applications fees data is not explicitly available but forms part of the broader Receipts

and Payments Statement information within the published Client Fund Accounts

these can be accessed at the following links:


ent_data/file/667954/hc610-client-funds-account-2016-17-2012-cms.pdf


ent_data/file/578769/hc856-client-funds-account-2015-16-2012-cms.pdf

Information on fees for 2017/18 financial year will not be available until audit of the

2017/18 Client Funds Account has been completed, anticipated by January 2019.

Marion Fellows: [182811]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will automatically include

unearned income drawn from HMRC in all child maintenance calculations.

Justin Tomlinson:

We are working with HMRC to increase awareness among clients as to what

unearned income is and the impact it can have on child maintenance liabilities. We

believe that this, along with enhancing case worker training in this area, will help

identify and factor unearned income into the calculation at an earlier point in case.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Jeff Smith: [182823]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department

has allocated to training staff on universal credit working in (a) her Department's call

centres and (b) job centres.



https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667954/hc610-client-funds-account-2016-17-2012-cms.pdf








Alok Sharma:

For the current financial year the Department has allocated £18m to learning and

development for staff working in service centres and jobcentres on Universal Credit.

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: [182882]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of

claimants of employment and support allowance that were underpaid, had their income

reduced when they were transferred from incapacity benefit.

Sarah Newton:

No-one suffered a cash loss when they were converted from incapacity benefits to

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) because, where the amount of ESA they

were entitled to was lower than the previous incapacity benefit award, it was ‘topped

up’ to match their previous award by a transitional addition.

A Written Statement and Frequently Asked Question document was deposited in the

House of Commons Library on Wednesday 17 th October which can be found at

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-

papers/commons/deposited-papers/. Ad hoc statistics can also be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-

affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the repayments to

claimants that were underpaid employment and support allowance will include interest.

Sarah Newton:

We will be reviewing all those cases potentially affected and paying any arrears of

past payments that are due. Our focus is on paying arrears to claimants in line with

the primary legislation.

A Written Statement and Frequently Asked Question document was deposited in the

House of Commons Library on Wednesday 17 th October which can be found at

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-

papers/commons/deposited-papers/. Ad hoc statistics can also be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-

affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking.

Personal Independence Payment

Dame Louise Ellman: [182708]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July

2018 to Question 158169 on personal independence payment, what estimate she has

made of the average time taken between a submission for an appeal and the resolution

of that case; and if she will make a statement.


http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking











Sarah Newton:

Statistics on the average length of time for Personal Independence Payment appeals

to be cleared are provided in Table T.3 of the quarterly bulletin “Tribunals and gender

recognition certificate statistics quarterly – April to June 2018” published by the

Ministry of Justice. These can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-

statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2018

Sanitary Protection


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to

end period poverty.

Justin Tomlinson:

This Government is taking a range of action to ensure that women and girls are able

to access affordable sanitary products.

No girl should be held back from reaching her potential because of her gender or

background; this is why the current and draft guidance on Relationship and Sex

Education issued to schools encourages them to make sensitive arrangements to

help girls cope with menstruation. Schools have discretion over how they use their

funding and can make sanitary products available, if they identify this as a barrier to

attendance. The Department for Education’s published analysis, which reviewed

absence statistics, shows no evidence that period poverty has a significant impact on

school attendance,

Additionally, since 2015, the Government has awarded £15 million a year to women’s

charities through the Tampon Tax Fund – equivalent to the amount of VAT raised

from the sale of women’s sanitary products. Through the current round of the fund,

we will provide over £1.6 million for the ‘Let’s Talk. Period.’ Project, delivered by

‘Brook Young People’ across England. The project will identify vulnerable and

disadvantaged young women who struggle to afford products through the

organisation’s existing community services and a network of local partners, including

schools. It will also develop resources to educate girls about menstruation and hand

out pre-paid cards allowing girls and young women in need to access free sanitary

products at local distribution points.

Work offers people the best opportunity to move out of poverty; across the UK, there

are over 3.3m more people in work, around 964,000 fewer workless households, and

around 637,000 fewer children living in such households compared with 2010. Also

since 2010 there are 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty (before housing

costs) compared with 2010.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2018




Social Security Benefits: Mental Health


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has (a)

made an assessment and (b) commissioned any reviews of the effect on people's mental

health of participation in the social security system.

Sarah Newton:

The Department recognises that many of those claiming benefits are particularly

vulnerable and we continue to explore ways to improve the customer journey,

especially for those with mental health conditions, and have safeguards in place to

ensure that people are supported throughout the process.

Unemployment: Wolverhampton North East


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her

Department has made of the reasons why the level of unemployment in Wolverhampton

North East constituency is more than twice the national average; and what steps her

Department is taking to lower the rate of unemployment in that constituency.

Alok Sharma:

The Office for National Statistics estimate between July 2017 to June 2018, with 95%

confidence, that the unemployment rate in Wolverhampton North East was between

5.7% and 13.1%, with a central estimate of 9.4%.

Employment in the West Midlands is up by 78,000 on the year and 307,000 since

2010, to 2.78 million.

This Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out how we will build a Britain fit for the

future – and help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs with investment in the

skills, industries and infrastructure of the future.

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: [178531]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12

September 2018 to Question 171398 on Universal Credit, whether the data relating to

additional costs to local authorities in excess of those already covered by new burdens

and universal support funding has been published; and if she will place a copy of the data

which her Department holds in Library.

Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 17 October 2018]: This information has been shared publicly and is

quoted in the June 2018 NAO report. We issued a single extra payment totalling

£4.7m, distributed across 67 Local Authorities to recognise additional costs in the

early stages of roll out prior to October 2017, with a median payment of £35,249.




Chris Ruane: [180650]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the

level of funding required to cancel the debts of claimants transferred from legacy benefits

to universal credit.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the

number of historical tax credit overpayments to be referred from HMRC to her

Department for recovery through universal credit payments.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Department will be

responsible for resolving disputes on the recovery of alleged tax credit overpayments by

universal credit.

Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 23 October 2018]: Where a person stops claiming Tax Credits and

instead claims Universal Credit, DWP will take responsibility for Tax Credits debt that

person has, which HMRC has not been able to recover at the point of transfer. This

will enable recovery to continue through Universal Credit. As at the end of September

2018, £571m* of Tax Credits debt has transferred. This will increase as Tax Credits

claimants move onto Universal Credit. DWP continues to work with HMRC and HM

Treasury to better understand the make-up of the Tax Credits debt to be transferred.

DWP’s 2017/18 annual accounts noted that £5.9 billion of tax credit debt will transfer

across as part of the Universal Credit migration process.

* From DWP internal management information data

Neil Gray: [180749]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to lay

before Parliament its draft regulations on the managed migration of claimants to universal

credit.

Neil Gray: [180750]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the managed migration of

claimants to universal credit will (a) include a roll-out schedule and (b) allow for (i) pauses

and (ii) reviews to ensure that the system is ready to manage the projected number of

claimants.

Alok Sharma:

Managed migration will begin in 2019, with small-scale testing of up to 10,000

claimants to ensure our process works well before the volume of migration increases.

We are engaging closely with stakeholders to build safeguards to ensure that all

claimants and particularly the most vulnerable are fully supported through the

migration process.

The draft regulations have been out for consultation with the Social Security Advisory

Committee and we are currently considering their advice alongside the contributions






we have received from other stakeholders. These regulations will come before

Parliament this autumn and they will be accompanied by our response to the Social

Security Advisory Committee’s Report.

The regulations are essential to ensuring that everyone moving onto Universal Credit,

having had no change in their circumstances, receives transitional protection. The

regulations also provide additional protection to claimants receiving a Severe

Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of

managed migration, and to provide financial protection to those claimants who have

already moved over.

Additionally, in the legacy system there are £2.4bn of unclaimed benefits not taken up

by people who need them, because they do not know about them. These regulations

will ensure that 700,000 more people will get paid their full entitlement under

Universal Credit.

Neil Gray: [180751]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an

assessment of the potential effect on vulnerable claimants of moving three million people

manually on to universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Neil Gray: [180752]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department plans

to provide to vulnerable claimants moving to universal credit under managed migration;

and what steps she is taking to ensure those claimants do not lose income as a result of

that transition.

Neil Gray: [180753]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department

has made of the potential effect on vulnerable claimants of the roll-out of universal credit

under (a) current systems and (b) the managed migration process.

Neil Gray: [180754]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to identify

vulnerable claimants on legacy benefits who require additional support for managed

migration to universal credit.

Neil Gray: [180757]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is

taking to ensure that vulnerable claimants do not lose income when moving to universal

credit through managed migration.

Alok Sharma:

We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that

people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants

are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in

2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are

working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.






We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants

during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of

waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two

week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.

The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the

managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As

part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with

over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups,

seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.

Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that

vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled

people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million

disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.

Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will

also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include

protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are

not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide

financial support for those who have already moved over.

Neil Gray: [180756]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is

taking to reduce payment times for universal credit applicants.

Alok Sharma:

We continue to make changes to improve payment timeliness: since February 2018,

Universal Credit claimants have been able to upload digital copies of their childcare

cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account; in 2017 we

started rolling out a ‘landlord portal’ to social landlords to make it easier and quicker

to verify people’s housing costs. We have also listened to feedback and built

processes into the system to improve verification for tenants in the private rented

sector. All of this makes it easier for claimants to apply for Universal Credit and

ensure they receive their entitlement on time and in full.

Neil Gray: [180758]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the potential merits of automatically moving claimants that would otherwise undergo

managed migration to universal credit from 2019.

Alok Sharma:

There are a number of issues with attempting to move claimants automatically from

legacy benefits onto Universal Credit. Claimant data must be accurate and up-to-date

to avoid transferring errors from legacy to Universal Credit. Claimants are not

currently getting all the entitlements they are eligible for on legacy benefits, and

making a new Universal Credit claim will ensure that the £2.4bn of currently



unclaimed benefits will be paid to those who are entitled to them, an average of £285

per month for 700,000 households.

Universal Credit also requires some data, which is currently not held under the legacy

system. For example, the Tax Credit system does not hold information on capital

which is needed for a Universal Credit claim. The best way to ensure that we have

the right data to process a claim is by requesting the claimant provide full and

updated data.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the effect of the roll-out of full service universal credit on (a) the number of food parcels

distributed by local food banks (b) the number of evictions from private rented

accommodation, (c) the number of evictions from local authority rented accommodation

and (d) the academic attainment of children eligible for free school meals.

Justin Tomlinson:

People use food banks for many reasons, and it would be misleading to link them to

any single cause. We are constantly reviewing research carried out by organisations

including the Trussell Trust, to add to our understanding of food bank use. Work

offers people the best opportunity to get out of poverty and Universal Credit gets

people into work faster and staying in work longer than the outdated legacy benefits

system. UC claimants are 4 percentage points more likely to be in work within 6

months than JSA claimants.

Evictions are not a new feature of the rental market. These are matters between

tenants and landlords and not directly related to the provision of benefits. This is not

something the Department collects data on.

As a safeguard for people needing more support, we have a well-established system

of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans. The Autumn Budget

2017, introduced a further package of measures, these include: making advances of

up to 100 per cent of the indicative award available and increasing the repayment

period to 12 months; removing the 7 day waiting period; providing an additional

payment of 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to support claimants when they transition to

UC.

The government’s new criteria for free school meals eligibility are forecast to increase

the number of children eligible for this vital benefit by 2022, compared to the previous

benefits system. In addition, our transitional protections will mean that all children

currently receiving a free meal will continue to do so.

In the government’s response to its consultation on the new free school meals

criteria, published in February 2018, we indicated that the impact of the new free

school meals threshold and the roll out of Universal Credit, on data, showing the

performance of disadvantaged pupils is likely to be relatively minor, in the context of

the normal levels of change schools see in their free school meals cohorts year on

year.


Universal Credit: Disability


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her recent

appearance on BBC News at 12.53pm on 11 October 2018, what the evidential basis is

for her statement that one million disabled people will get significantly more on universal

credit.

Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 16 October 2018]: DWP’s internal analysis based on Office for

Budget Responsibility (OBR) figures, and applied to a fully rolled out position shows

that 1 million people will receive an increase of £110 per month from Universal Credit.

Our figures reflect that there are disabled claimants on other benefits or currently

receiving no benefit, and also that the final Universal Credit rollout date has

subsequently changed since the OBR report.

Universal Credit: South Yorkshire

Stephanie Peacock: [181346]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of universal

credit in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) Barnsley receive less money under universal credit

compared with their previous benefit entitlement.

Stephanie Peacock: [181347]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of recipients of

universal credit in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) Barnsley receive less money under

universal credit compared with their previous benefit entitlement.

Alok Sharma:

Claimants naturally migrating from existing benefits to Universal Credit do so

because they have had a significant change in their circumstances that would

previously have triggered a new claim to an existing benefit or tax credit. Rather than

remain on legacy benefit, the claimant claims Universal Credit and their entitlement is

calculated based on their new circumstances. As we only have information in the

Universal Credit system on the claimant’s new circumstances, it is not possible to

calculate what the claimant’s legacy benefit and tax credit entitlements would have

been.

Within the managed migration regulations coming before Parliament this autumn, we

are introducing transitional protections for those moving to Universal Credit through

managed migration, to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition.

Universal Credit: Wolverhampton North East


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in

Wolverhampton North East constituency are in receipt of universal credit.





Alok Sharma:

The latest available information on the number of people on Universal Credit by

parliamentary constituency is published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in

Wolverhampton North East constituency have applied for advance payments of universal

credit.

Alok Sharma:

Applications for a Universal Credit advance payment can be made in person, by

telephone or (since July 2018) online. For applications made in person or by

telephone, only applications that are successful are recorded. To collect information

on unsuccessful applications made in person or by telephone would incur a

disproportionate cost.

Our latest internal management information data as of July 2018 shows that,

nationally, over 60% of new claims currently receive either a ‘New Claim’ or ‘Benefit

Transfer’ advance which shows claimants are getting the support they need. Data is

not available at constituency level.

Vacancies: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: [180841]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15

October 2018 to Question 174137 on Vacancies: West Midlands, what assessment she

has made of trends in the number of vacancies on (a) Find a Job and (b) Universal

Jobmatch for (i) permanent and (ii) contract positions since 2013.

Alok Sharma:

The Vacancy Survey, run by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) is the source

used to estimate the number of vacancies available. Further information is available

on the ONS website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/.

‘Find a job’ is a live, self-service website which is constantly being used by employers

to upload, edit and end job vacancies. As such, this means that numbers can change

from minute to minute. As of 25 October 2018 there are over 184,000 vacancies

available on this site.

Whilst management Information from the ‘Find a job’ website is useful for the

Department and used to improve the service and ensure we’re providing the best

service to employers and jobseekers, this information is not intended to represent

labour market statistics and trends.







WRITTEN STATEMENTS

DEFENCE

HMS Victory 1744

Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr Tobias Ellwood): [HCWS1038]

I wish to apologise for an error made in a written response to a Parliamentary Question

asked by the Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP, the Member for North Durham. The question and

answer were as follows:

Asked on 28 October 2014, Reference 212332

Kevan Jones MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether completion bonds

or other financial arrangements will be put in place before granting the Maritime Heritage

Foundation permission to recover at risk surface items from the wreck site of HMS Victory

1744; and what specific communications there have been between government

departments on that matter.

Answer on 5 November 2014

Minister of State for Defence, Welfare and Veterans, the Rt. Hon. Anna Soubry MP:

Funding for the approved next stage of the project (recovery of at-risk surface items,

subject to a licence by the Marine Management Organisation) is underwritten by a

financial bond provided by Odyssey Marine Exploration and held by the Ministry of

Defence (MOD). Funding of the project has been discussed by officials from MOD and

the Department for Culture Media and Sport as part of the assessment of the Project

Design.

Additionally, this response was repeated in a second Parliamentary Question raised by

the Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP on 28 November 2014 answered by the then Minister for

Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Edward Vaizey MP, on 4 December

2014 (Reference 216395).

Subsequent investigations have proved that this information was incorrect. No funding

was held by either the Ministry of Defence or the Department for Culture, Media and

Sport.

As the current Minister for Defence People and Veterans, I wish to correct this error. I

have also written to the Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP, and the responding Ministers at the

time, the Rt Hon Anna Soubry and Edward Vaizey, to apologise for this error.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-10-26/HCWS1038/

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Foreign Affairs Council – 15 October 2018

Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Sir Alan Duncan):

[HCWS1042]

My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth

Affairs attended the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on 15 October. It was chaired by the

High Representative and Vice President of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs

and Security Policy (HRVP), Federica Mogherini. The meeting was held in Luxembourg.

Current Affairs

Ministers discussed current affairs issues including the Jamal Khashoggi case on which

they agreed the need for a full and transparent investigation by the Saudi authorities in

complete cooperation with the Turkish authorities. My Right Honourable Friend welcomed

the new chemical weapons sanctions regime and EU solidarity since the Salisbury attack.

He noted the attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and

called for new sanctions regimes to address cyber and human rights abuses. He also

spoke about Burma and the UN fact-finding mission.

Libya

The discussion on Libya focused on the political process, the stability of the country, and

the economic situation. Ministers reiterated the EU's support for the political process led

by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Special Representative, Ghassan

Salamé. The Council confirmed the EU's determination to support a Libyan-led solution

for the Libyan people under UN auspices.

The discussions also considered the forthcoming high-level meeting on Libya that will

take place in Palermo, Italy on 12-13 November 2018. The Council underlined the

importance of holding both presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible,

and the need to put in place a proper constitutional and legal framework before the

elections take place.

External aspects of migration

The Director-General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), António

Vitorino and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi briefed

Ministers during this session. Ministers took stock of progress and recent developments,

and underlined the importance of the strategic partnership between the EU, the IOM and

the UNHCR in Libya. The Council emphasised the significant results delivered through

the joint efforts of the EU, its Member States and UN agencies. Irregular migration flows

to Europe have significantly decreased, and efforts to tackle irregular migration and to

fight smuggling networks have been considerably strengthened, in particular through

Operation Sophia.

Central African Republic

The Council discussed and adopted conclusions on the Central African Republic (CAR).

The conclusions underlined that the situation in the CAR remained fragile and the EU



continued to engage in supporting the country. The conclusions also stated that the EU

would continue working, through its various instruments, to support the CAR to achieve

stability, peace and development and to meet the aspirations of its entire population for

lasting peace and reconciliation.

Venezuela

Ministers discussed the situation in Venezuela, its impact on the region, including on

migration. Ministers reaffirmed the EU's strong position on the political crisis in

Venezuela. They agreed that the crisis could only be solved through a political process

and to explore the possibility of establishing a contact group that could, if conditions were

met, help to facilitate such a process.

The Council agreed a number of measures without discussion: The Council adopted a

new regime of restrictive measures to address the use and proliferation of chemical

weapons; The Council adopted conclusions on “Connecting Europe and Asia – Building

blocks for an EU strategy”; The Council adopted conclusions on Bosnia and

Herzegovina/Operation EUFOR Althea; The Council decided to extend the EU

stabilisation action in Mopti and Ségou (EUSTAMS) for a period of three months; The

Council extended the EU restrictive measures against ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda and

persons, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them until 31 October 2019;

The Council adopted new rules of procedures for the Joint Committee established by the

EU-Vietnam Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation;

The Council agreed the signing, on behalf of the EU, of a protocol to the Euro-

Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the EU and Tunisia or

order to take account of the accession of Croatia to the EU; The Council adopted the EU

programme of exercises and exercise-related activities under the Common Foreign and

Security Policy for the period 2018-22; The Council extended the mandate of the EU

Advisory Mission (EUAM) Iraq until 17 April 2020; The Council adopted a

recommendation providing detailed guidance on the objectives and progress indicators

for the fulfilment by each participating Member State of the more binding commitments

that have been undertaken when the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) was

launched at the end of 2017; The Council approved the High Representative’s report on

the operation commander’s 28th six monthly report on Operation EUFOR Althea; The

Council adopted a regulation on the research and training programme of the European

Atomic Energy Community for the years 2019 and 2020; The Council approved a joint

statement for the occasion of the second Arctic Science Ministerial meeting that will take

place in Berlin on 25 and 26 October 2018.

Tailored Review of Wilton Park

Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mark Field):

[HCWS1041]

I am announcing today the publication of the recent Tailored Review of Wilton Park, an

Executive Agency of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.



Wilton Park convenes discreet dialogue on the UK’s strategic foreign policy priorities. It

has shaped and delivered events since 1946, which link a global network of experts from

sectors including academia, the military, civil society, business, politicians and diplomats.

The principal aim of Tailored Reviews, which are carried out according to Cabinet Office

guidance, is to ensure public bodies remain fit for purpose, well governed and properly

accountable for what they do. The full report can be read on gov.uk.

This Review involved consultation with a broad range of stakeholders across the UK and

beyond, including Wilton Park staff, the Wilton Park Board, commercial and academic

sponsors, and a full range of partner organisations.

The Review reported in September 2018. It found that Wilton Park is functioning well as

an organisation. It recommended that it should remain an executive agency of the

Foreign & Commonwealth Office and remain at Wiston House at least until the end of the

current lease in 2027.

The Review nonetheless contains a number of recommendations to refresh and

strengthen Wilton Park’s corporate governance. A plan to implement all the

recommendations by their stated deadlines has been developed and agreed between the

FCO and Wilton Park, and will be taken forward by officials.

Copies of the Review will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Future reciprocal healthcare arrangements

Minister of State for Health (Stephen Barclay): [HCWS1040]

Today, the Government is introducing the Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill.

This will provide the Government with the powers that are needed to fund and effectively

implement arrangements for UK nationals to obtain healthcare abroad after the UK exits

the European Union (EU).

Current EU reciprocal healthcare arrangements enable UK nationals to access

healthcare when they live, study, work, or travel abroad and visa-versa for EU citizens

when in the UK. They give people more life options, support tourism and businesses, and

healthcare cooperation. The UK also has a number of reciprocal healthcare agreements

with non-EU and EEA countries, such as Australia and New Zealand.

These arrangements ensure that UK nationals living and working in the EU, European

Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland can access healthcare in exchange for paying

taxes and social security contributions. The UK also funds healthcare abroad for a

number of current or former UK residents. This includes healthcare for UK state

pensioners who spend their retirement in the EU and needs arising healthcare when UK

residents visit the EU for holiday or study through the European Healthcare Insurance

Card (EHIC) Scheme.


The Bill is part of the Government’s preparations for EU Exit and will ensure that

whatever the outcome of EU Exit, the Government can take the necessary steps to

continue reciprocal healthcare arrangements or otherwise support UK residents to obtain

healthcare when they move to or visit the EU.

Presently, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has limited domestic powers

to fund and arrange healthcare outside of the UK. When the UK leaves the EU the

current EU regulations will no longer be part of UK law and new legislation will be

needed.

This Bill confers powers on the Secretary of State to make, and arrange for payments to

be made, in respect of the cost of healthcare provided outside the UK. This would allow

for the funding of reciprocal healthcare arrangements for UK nationals living in the EU,

EEA and Switzerland.

The Bill also confers powers on the Secretary of State to make regulations for and in

connection with the provision of healthcare abroad and to give effect to healthcare

agreements with other countries or territories (both EU and non-EU) or supranational

bodies such as the EU.

Finally, the Bill provides for the lawful processing of data where necessary for purposes

of implementing, operating or facilitating the operation of reciprocal healthcare

arrangements or payments.

Current healthcare agreements benefit people in all parts of the UK, assisting people to

obtain healthcare when they are abroad. The UK Government is therefore engaging with

the devolved administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole UK in a way

that fully respects the devolution settlements.

The Bill underscores the Government’s commitment to reaching a reciprocal healthcare

agreement with the EU, or where necessary making agreements with Member States,

and to exploring potential agreements with third countries in the future.

The Government welcomes the forthcoming scrutiny of the Bill, to ensure that it achieves

its aims for the continuation of healthcare support for UK nationals in the EU, EEA and

Switzerland after the UK exits the EU, but also enabling the UK to look to the future.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Housing update

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (James

Brokenshire): [HCWS1044]

I am today publishing a consultation on updates to national planning policy and guidance.

This consultation proposes changes to the standard method for calculating local housing

need, to ensure consistency with the objective of delivering 300,000 homes per year, on

average by the mid-2020s whilst providing the clarity that communities need. The

consultation also proposes clarifications of national planning policy on housing land

supply, the definition of deliverable sites and appropriate assessment for habitats sites.


Our reforms are enabling local planning authorities to plan for the right homes in the right

places, in a way that is open, transparent and sustainable for local communities. A key

part of this is a standard method for assessing housing need. This has been introduced to

ensure a consistent starting point when understanding how many homes are needed in

each local area.

Recent changes to one of the statistical datasets the standard method relies on has led to

confusion and uncertainty in some areas about how many homes are needed. This

consultation therefore proposes changes to the standard method to ensure consistency

with the objective of building more homes, whilst ensuring local authorities have the

clarity they need to produce local plans.

This consultation is open until 7 December, and I will inform the House of the outcome of

the consultation as appropriate.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Trade Remedies Authority

Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr

Liam Fox): [HCWS1046]

This Government is committed to establishing the new UK Trade Remedies Authority

(TRA), which will be responsible for providing a safety net to domestic industries after the

UK has left the EU.

We have made significant progress so far. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018,

which sets out the trade remedies framework that the TRA will be responsible for

delivering, received Royal Assent on 13 September 2018. In parallel, we are in the

process of establishing the TRA as a non-departmental public body through the Trade

Bill.

The UK is a strong supporter of free trade. But this does not mean trade without rules.

Trade remedy measures support free trade by ensuring it is also based on rules, in

accordance with the UK’s international obligations to the World Trade Organisation and

our traditions.

We cannot risk leaving UK industry unprotected against these unfair trading practices.

That is why it is in our national interest to ensure the TRA is established and

appropriately staffed in case we do not negotiate a deal prior to the UK’s departure from

the European Union.

I hope all opposition parties in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will

give support to the Trade Bill to ensure that no UK industries, or parts of the UK, are at

risk of being left unprotected. On 29 March 2018, the Department secured a technical

Ministerial Direction to authorise spending on the implementation of the TRA prior to

Royal Assent for the Trade Bill, in line with the guidance issued by the Permanent

Secretaries of HM Treasury and the Department for Exiting the European Union as well


as the Written Ministerial Statement from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in October

2017.

We have been focused on ensuring that the TRA has the right leadership in place from

the start. That is why I am pleased to announce that Sir David Wright, the UK’s former

ambassador to both the Republic of Korea and Japan, has been appointed to DIT as TRA

Chair Designate. Sir David presents an outstanding profile in international and bilateral

trade policy, having served as the first Chief Executive of British Trade International,

which later became UK Trade and Investment. He also served as Vice-Chairman of

Barclays Capital from 2003 to 2010, and then subsequently as Vice-Chairman of

Barclays PLC until his final role as Senior Advisor from 2016 to 2018. Today he is Global

Advisor of SMFG, Chairman of Skarbek and Chairman of TheCityUK’s Japan Market

Advisory Group.. I am confident that Sir David’s unique experience in international trade,

diplomacy and non-executive roles make him the ideal candidate.

Sir David will initially be appointed to DIT as TRA Chair Designate until the Trade Bill

receives Royal Assent and the TRA is legally established – which is, of course, subject to

the will of Parliament. Once this has taken place, it is my intention that Sir David be

formally appointed as TRA Chair. The total length of Sir David’s term – across both roles

– will be three years.

I can also announce that Claire Bassett has been recruited to DIT as TRA Chief

Executive Designate. Claire offers extensive public body leadership experience, having

most recently served as Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission. Prior to that, she

has been Chief Executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales and the Criminal

Cases Review Commission.

Once the TRA has been legally established, the TRA Chair will be responsible for making

a final decision on the appointment of a TRA Chief Executive, subject to my approval.

This is consistent with the appointment powers set out in the Trade Bill.

I am also pleased to say that the future TRA’s wider senior leadership team has also now

been recruited to DIT – including its Chief Economist, Chief Operating Officer, General

Counsel and Joint Chief Investigators. It is our intention that they will be transferred to the

TRA once it has been legally established.

Sir David, Claire and the senior leadership team will join the Department’s ‘shadow’ TRA

function in its Reading office premises in Northgate House, in the near future. Located in

the heart of Reading, Northgate House offers excellent transport links and will enable the

TRA to serve the whole of the UK effectively. Reading has one of the highest

concentrations of relevant skills in the country and this is in addition to having access to

Reading’s university and leading businesses. By securing these office premises now, we

have ensured that future TRA staff have a location in which to be properly trained in

preparation for the UK’s exit from the EU and the TRA being legally established through

Royal Assent of the Trade Bill.

JUSTICE

Justice update

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr David Gauke):

[HCWS1045]

The Supplement to the Fortieth Annual Report on Senior Salaries 2018 is published

today. The supplement follows the Senior Salaries Review Body’s (SSRB) Annual and

Major Reviews of judicial pay. Copies are available from the Vote Office and the Printed

Paper Office. I am grateful to the chairman and members of the Review Body for their

work in undertaking these reviews.

The Government values the vital role played by the judiciary. Our judges are the envy of

the world. They deservedly have the very highest reputation for integrity and

independence. They deliver justice every day in courts and tribunals across the land

without fear or favour, and in doing so uphold the rule of law on which our society is

founded. Beyond that fundamental role, the quality and dependability of our judiciary is a

critical part of making the UK an attractive place to settle disputes, and English law a pre-

eminent choice for contracts.

I am pleased therefore to confirm today that members of the judiciary will receive a pay

increase of 2% in 2018/19, which is the biggest pay rise for judges in nearly 10 years.

This award will be backdated to April 2018.

In reaching our final position for the 2018/19 pay award, the Government has had to

balance the need for affordability for the tax payer and future sustainability of public

services whilst ensuring that pay awards are fair and consistent across the public sector.

Therefore, the Government has not accepted in full the SSRB’s recommended increase

of 2.5%.

The SSRB has also, at the Government’s request, conducted a Major Review of the

judicial salary structure. This is a comprehensive assessment of the appropriate structure

and levels of judicial pay for the future, taking into account the need to recruit and retain

judicial office holders of the highest calibre.

In its Major Review report, which I am also publishing today, the SSRB highlight evidence

of a growing recruitment problem at certain key levels within the judiciary – notably at

High Court and Circuit Bench level. The SSRB conclude that these problems are

principally occurring because the reward package has become much less attractive to

potential applicants, and highlight in particular the impact of recent pensions changes on

judicial reward.

The SSRB have made a series of recommendations, including that varying levels of pay

increase are made across different salary groups, with the biggest increases

recommended for those judges in salary groups where there is evidence of a recruitment

problem and who are in the new Judicial Pension Scheme 2015.

The Government takes very seriously the threat that being unable to fill key judicial posts

represents to the proper functioning of justice and the UK’s wider prosperity. We are now



carefully considering what changes might be made to the judicial remuneration package

to address the particular issues highlighted by the SSRB’s Major Review.

The Government will also be considering the SSRB’s recommendations on changes to

the current judicial salary structure and their proposals for new pay supplements for those

judges who undertake extra leadership responsibilities. I can also confirm that the

Government will honour its commitment to maintain the recruitment and retention

allowance currently paid to eligible High Court Judges until it has responded to the Major

Review.

This Government remains committed to ensuring our courts and tribunals system is as

efficient as possible. Through our Reform Programme we have already taken important

steps towards enabling judges to make the best possible use of their time, and I will

continue to work towards this objective in partnership with the Lord Chief Justice and

Senior President of Tribunals.

I will make a further statement to the House when I am in a position to set out in full the

Government’s response to the Major Review.

TRANSPORT

Crossrail Update

Minister of State for Transport (Joseph Johnson): [HCWS1043]

On 31 August 2018, Crossrail Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Transport for London

(TfL), announced a delay to the planned opening of the Elizabeth line.

Discussions between TfL and Government are underway as to how any additional

funding will be provided, with London - as the primary beneficiary of Crossrail – bearing

any additional costs via a financing arrangement.

TfL and the Department for Transport have commissioned an independent review of

Crossrail’s governance and a separate review on Crossrail’s finance and commercial

position.

Today, as an interim measure, we are announcing that £350m of short term repayable

financing will be made available to the Mayor for the year 2018/19. This will ensure that

full momentum is maintained behind Crossrail.

This project is already delivering benefits for the whole of the UK through its cross-

country supply chain and its UK built train fleet. When open, Crossrail will be

transformative and carry up to 200 million passengers a year, delivering £42 billion of

investment into the UK economy.

A further update will be provided once the discussions on the financing arrangements

have concluded.


WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Civil Partnerships

Minister for Women and Equalities (Penny Mordaunt): [HCWS1039]

This Government is committed to fairness and equal treatment in all areas of life.

Families, in all their forms, are a fundamental element of society, and we want to ensure

that they are as secure and stable as possible, in order for people to flourish.

Civil partnerships were originally created to enable same-sex couples to formalise their

relationships at a time when marriage was not available to them. Since then, we are

pleased to have introduced marriage for same-sex couples through the Marriage (Same-

Sex Couples) Act 2013. However, this created a situation whereby same-sex couples

have the option to either marry or form a civil partnership, but opposite-sex couples only

have the option to marry

The Government has been considering how to equalise access to civil partnerships

between same-sex and opposite-sex couples and on 2 October, the Prime Minister

announced that the Government will extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.

There are around 3.3million cohabiting couples in the UK, almost half of them with

children, and all of them without the protections and security that a formalised relationship

can bring. The announcement ensures that, in future, opposite-sex couples will be able to

benefit from the protections and security that a civil partnership provides.

I would like to pay tribute to those who have campaigned for this change over a number

of years, including my hon friend for East Worthing and Shoreham, whose commitment to

this cause has laid the foundation for the Government to take forward this important

change through his support for the cause of equal civil partnerships, and his ‘Civil

Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.)’ Bill, currently before the House.

The changes needed to effect the greater equality we wish to see are not all

straightforward and there are a number of questions that arise specifically about opening

civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples for the first time, on which we will need to

consult. For example, whether couples can choose to convert their civil partnership into a

marriage (or vice-versa) and what should be the grounds for dissolution of an opposite-

sex civil partnership.

We are clear that Government legislation is essential to ensure that these and other

consequentials of opposite-sex civil partnerships are properly legislated for and

adequately debated by this house and in the other place. This would not be possible

through my Hon. Friend’s bill as currently amended.

We intend to consult to enable us to introduce legislation in the next Parliamentary

Session to bring about the necessary changes.


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