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1132014

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Chief Scientific Advisers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings she has held with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.
tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
tabling member printed	Norman Lamb
uin	264367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions held no meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/06/2019 13:04:55 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb

1132054

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that universal credit claimants paying rent weekly do not face a one-week shortfall in their universal credit housing element in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	264450
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>No-one will face a one-week shortfall in their Universal Credit (UC) housing element in 2020 as no year contains 53 weeks. This perceived issue of there being a one-week shortfall due to there being 53 weeks in a year arises where a landlord charges rent weekly on a Monday and, because of the way the calendar falls every 5 or 6 years, requiring 53 rent payments in a year, with the 53<sup>rd</sup> payment in part covering the tenancy for the first few days of the following year.</p><p> </p><p>Where a tenant makes a 53<sup>rd</sup> rent payment in a given year, this payment will cover some days in the subsequent year. This will mean the following month only has four payment dates and, as such, the claimant will be ‘overpaid’ for their housing and their shortfall will be recovered.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work.</p><p> </p><p>We are aware of a separate issue with respect to the way the calculation in the Universal Credit regulations converts a weekly liability into a monthly allowance. The conversion is achieved by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and then dividing by 12. This effectively means one day’s rent a year (two days in a leap years) are not covered by UC. We are currently considering whether this formulation around weekly rents, and potentially other weekly amounts in the UC calculation, should be amended.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/06/2019 11:44:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1132055

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will work with housing associations to share data to support tenants when undergoing transfer from legacy benefits onto universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	264451
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>We are working with Trusted Partners, including Housing Associations, to identify how best to support claimants within the Harrogate Move to UC pilot as they move from legacy benefits to UC. We will explore whether data sharing is required as part of this support.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/06/2019 13:22:16 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1132056

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward the extension of the repayment period of the Advance Payment Loan available to universal credit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	264452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>Advances are not loans; they are an interest free advance payment of benefit, available to help people who need immediate financial support, which is then recovered over an agreed period.</p><p> </p><p>We have carefully considered the impact and deliverability of the measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2018 for Universal Credit. The delivery dates we announced achieve the best balance between continually improving Universal Credit to respond to claimant need and ensuring the service is technically and operationally scalable as the volumes on Universal Credit continue to rise through 2019 and 2020.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/06/2019 13:14:28 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1132071

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Franchises
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contract awards his Department has made for rail franchise competitions since 2012.
tabling member constituency	Middlesbrough
tabling member printed	Andy McDonald
uin	264417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>The total number of franchise competition awards since 2012 is 9.</p> answering member constituency Harrogate and Knaresborough answering member printed Andrew Jones question first answered 21/06/2019 13:29:47 answering member 3996 label Biography information for Andrew Jones
tabling member	4269 label Biography information for Andy McDonald

1132073

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Carbon Monoxide
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage nurseries and childminders to install carbon monoxide alarms in their premises; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	264392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>All providers on the Early Years Register in England must comply with the safeguarding and welfare requirements set out in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework. Providers must ensure that their premises are fit for purpose and comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation.</p><p>Ofsted refer to the EYFS statutory framework when carrying out inspections and may issue a welfare requirement notice in respect of any failure to meet a requirement in the document. It is an offence if a provider fails to comply with a welfare requirement notice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/06/2019 09:40:15 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1132082

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide universal credit claimants (a) with payments rather than advance payment loans and (b) with those payments earlier than five weeks to ensure that they do not fall into rent arrears.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	264458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work.</p><p> </p><p>Advance payments of Universal Credit are not loans. They are Universal Credit paid early, which is then recovered over an agreed period via deductions from the claimant’s Universal Credit award. No claimant has to go five weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available up front, if there is need. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/06/2019 13:05:34 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1132103

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Health Hazards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 251249, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) reach and (b) effectiveness of its work to communicate with people vulnerable to the effects of air pollution during episodes of high pollution.
tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
tabling member printed	Angela Smith
uin	264377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government does not assess the reach and effectiveness of its communication for each air pollution episode. However, we work closely with Public Health England and a network of health charities to ensure that key health messages reach those who are vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, during episodes of high pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed in the 2019 Clean Air Strategy to develop and deliver a personal air quality messaging system to inform the public, particularly those who are vulnerable to air pollution, about the air quality forecast and provide clearer information on air pollution episodes and health advice. This builds on the air quality forecasts and information already published on the Government’s UK-AIR website.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 21/06/2019 12:47:40 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1564 label Biography information for Angela Smith

1132125

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) adequate support is available from HMRC for people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge and (b) that further interest will not be accrued on outstanding loans due to the delays experienced with the HMRC help desk.
tabling member constituency	Somerton and Frome
tabling member printed	David Warburton
uin	264464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have put in place a series of measures to support those affected by the charge on Disguised Remuneration (DR) loans, which came into force on 5 April 2019.</p><p>Since 2017, HMRC have had a dedicated helpline for those who have used DR schemes. People can use this helpline to discuss their scheme use and different options to reach a settlement with HMRC. Call handlers are trained to support all callers, including those needing additional support. The helpline’s current average speed of answer is less than 60 seconds.</p><p>HMRC also recently announced an extension of their successful Needs Enhanced Support (NES) service to those undergoing compliance checks. This is being rolled out to DR scheme users first.</p><p>HMRC have already confirmed that scheme users who came forward to settle under the November 2017 published settlement terms and provided the necessary information by the deadline of 5 April 2019 will not be disadvantaged if settlement cannot be reached until after that date. Simplified payment arrangements were available as part of those terms.</p><p>Individuals who have not settled their DR scheme use with HMRC will need to report the outstanding loan amount on their 2018-19 tax return and pay the tax due, or agree an instalment arrangement, by 31 January 2020.</p><p>Anybody concerned about paying what they owe is advised to get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have a number of ways to help those who are genuinely unable to make a full payment of tax on time. There is no set minimum or maximum period within which a tax debt can be repaid.</p><p>In relation to interest, interest on late payments is designed to encourage people to pay their tax liabilities on time. It also serves to recompense the Exchequer for the delay in tax revenue paid later than the due date.</p><p>For the majority of DR scheme users, there is currently no interest accruing on the loan charge, as the liability has yet to arise.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 21/06/2019 13:05:19 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4526 label Biography information for David Warburton

1132127

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Honduras: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Honduras.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	264465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>​The political and security situation in Honduras remains volatile. In April and May protests against proposed reforms to health and education funding in Tegucigalpa turned violent. The UK updated its travel advice accordingly. More widely, significant numbers of migrants continue to leave the country for the US via Mexico and high levels of intimidation and violence perpetrated against human rights defenders and journalists persist. We engage with the Honduran Government on these issues through its non-resident Embassy in Guatemala City and through its membership of the G16 group of donors, and work closely with civil society organisations in Tegucigalpa.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 21/06/2019 12:33:57 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle