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1259794

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2020
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Public Houses and Restaurants: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish details of his Department’s support for pubs and restaurants in areas under tier 3 covid-19 restrictions during the Christmas period.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	127703
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>We are providing hospitality businesses in Tiers 2 and 3 with a wide package of support to help them through the current crisis. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, government-backed loans, Local Restrictions Support Grants and additional funding provided to Local Authorities to support businesses. On 1 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister also announced an additional £1,000 Christmas grant for ‘wet-led pubs’ in tiers 2 and 3.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 18/12/2020 14:26:26 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1384292

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Electricity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to small and medium sized businesses facing increased electricity costs in winter 2021-22.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	86225
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises this is a worrying time for businesses facing pressures due to the significant increases in prices. Extensive engagement continues across government at both a ministerial and official level on this situation to understand, and to help mitigate the impacts of, high global energy prices. The Government’s priority is to ensure costs are managed and energy supplies maintained.</p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 13/12/2021 11:43:32 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1487011

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Leisure: Facilities
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the financial viability of (a) swimming pools and (b) other public leisure facilities.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	31949
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2022 answer text <p>We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.</p><p>The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in leisure facilities.</p><p>Sport England has invested £9,564,322 in swimming and diving projects since April 2019, which includes £6,260,502 to Swim England. This is in addition to the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund which supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country after the pandemic.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 15/07/2022 13:48:42 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1229763

	registered interest
	date	28/08/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Events Industry: Self-employed
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support his Department is providing to (a) self-employed and (b) freelance workers in the entertainment and events supply chain industry unable to return to work during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	82635
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>DCMS recognises the crucial role that individuals play in the UK’s entertainment and events industry, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many individuals operating in these sectors.</p><p>The Secretary of State announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors which will benefit self-employed and freelance workers by providing support to music venues and many other organisations in the Creative Industries that host live events, to stay open and continue operating.</p><p>To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England (ACE) have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:</p><ul><li><p>An additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers and National Portfolio Organisations are eligible to apply.</p></li><li><p>A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.</p></li><li><p>ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.</p></li></ul><p>We are committed to continuing to work with the entertainment and events sectors to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 08/09/2020 13:49:51 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1234586

	registered interest
	date	15/09/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Internet: West Bromwich
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to support residents in Living Well Street in Greets Green, West Bromwich to tackle slow internet speeds.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	90306
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>Living Well Street is currently not in any rollout plans via the local body, the Black Country LEP. While not eligible for our Rural Gigabit Vouchers, this helpful checker provides several local suppliers who are able to deliver to this area which residents may find useful (<a href="https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/#suppliers" target="_blank">https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/#suppliers</a>).</p><p>The government has the ambition of providing nationwide gigabit-capable connectivity as soon as possible. The government will continue to take action to remove barriers to commercial network rollout, and will ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. £5 billion of funding has been allocated to invest in the hardest to reach areas of the UK, ensuring that all residents will have access to the digital connectivity they need and deserve. Further details of the £5 billion programme will be published in due course. As of 27 August, 26% of UK premises have access to gigabit-capable speeds; however while this is good progress, I realise there is still much more to do.</p><p>The government also introduced the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) on 20 March 2020. The USO gives eligible premises in the UK the right to request a decent and affordable connection. The government has defined decent broadband as a service that can provide a download speed of 10Mbps and an upload speed of 1Mbps. Further information can be found at this address: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/broadband-uso-need-to-know" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/broadband-uso-need-to-know</a>.</p><p>However, the vast majority of premises in urban areas such as Living Well Street are likely to be able to access a 4G or 5G mobile data service that provides USO level speeds or higher and so therefore will not qualify for assistance under the Universal Service Obligation. According to the Ofcom mobile availability checker, residents in Living Well Street can access a 4G connection across all four of the mobile network operators.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 23/09/2020 15:49:50 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1313203

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Overseas Students: Government Assistance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department has provided to international students studying in the UK during the covid-19 outbreak to help mitigate for the diminished opportunities available to those students to undertake casual work alongside their studies.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	567
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2021 answer text <p>The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak has had unparalleled impact on all elements of the global and UK economy, and this academic year has been difficult for all students.</p><p>To protect students at this unprecedented time, particularly those who may have been planning to undertake a part time job, we have made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to higher education providers in the 2020/21 academic year. This is in addition to the £256 million of government funded student premium funding already available to higher education (HE) providers to draw on for this academic year, 2020/21.</p><p>Providers have flexibility in how they distribute this funding to their students, in a way that best prioritises those in greatest need. Support can include help for students, including international students and postgraduates, facing additional costs arising from having to maintain accommodation in more than one location or assistance to help students access teaching remotely.</p><p>The current measures aim to target support for students in greatest need, and we have been consistently clear that if an international student needs to request access to hardship funds through their provider due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, they can be confident in expressing these concerns to their provider without any impact on their immigration status.</p><p>The HE sector has also led some valuable work in this area. For example, Universities UK international published guidance for universities to support international students in financial hardship, and in March they wrote to all UK-based embassies to ensure international students are aware of the support available to them if required. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/guidance-support-international-student-hardship-pandemic.aspx/" target="_blank">https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/guidance-support-international-student-hardship-pandemic.aspx/</a>.</p><p>To further support students in finding work post-graduation, the department has worked with the HE sector to understand what more we can do to support graduates who are looking to enter the labour market at this challenging time. In response, we have developed the Graduate Employment and Skills Guide, which was published on Monday 10 May 2021 on the Office for Students website. The guide signposts graduates to public, private and voluntary sector opportunities, to help students build employability skills, gain work experience or enter the labour market, as well as providing links to further study options and resources on graduate mental health and wellbeing.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 18/05/2021 11:03:50 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1313191

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce misogyny and the treatment of women onto the national curriculum in Personal, Social, Health and Economic education for children aged 11 to 16.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	565
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2021 answer text <p>The Department wants to support all young people to lead happy, healthy and safe lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference. That is why the Department has made the new subjects of Relationships Education (for primary school pupils), Relationships and Sex Education (for secondary school pupils) and Health Education (for all pupils in state-funded schools) compulsory from September 2020.</p><p>The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance specifically advises schools to be alive to issues such as sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and gender stereotypes, and to take positive action to tackle these issues. Statutory guidance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education</a>.</p><p>In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education involves supporting children to learn about what healthy relationships are and their importance, as well as how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. In secondary schools, relationships education broadens to become age-appropriate relationships and sex education and will include factual knowledge around sex, sexual health, and sexuality, set firmly within the context of relationships.</p><p>Specifically, at secondary school pupils should be taught about the concepts of and laws relating to sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence and female genital mutilation.</p><p>To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence we have produced RSHE Teacher Training Modules which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health</a>. Each module covers safeguarding to make sure teachers, pastoral staff and the designated safeguarding lead are equipped to deal with sensitive discussions and potential disclosures.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/05/2021 13:22:05 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1313881

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2021
	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	Inland Waterways: Sewage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of raw sewage being discharged into the UK's waterways.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>Tackling the harm caused by sewer overflows is a top priority for this department.</p><p> </p><p>I have met water company CEOs and made clear that the volume of sewage discharged into rivers and other waterways in extreme weather must be reduced.</p><p> </p><p>To achieve this, the new Storm Overflows Taskforce - bringing together the Government, the water industry, regulators and environmental NGOs - has agreed to set a long-term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows. The Taskforce is meeting regularly and working on plans to make progress towards that goal, and has commissioned research to gather evidence on the costs, benefits and feasibility of different options.</p><p> </p><p>As announced on 11 May, we are putting forward amendments to the Environment Bill that will help to reduce the harm that storm overflows cause to our waterways. We are introducing new duties that will require the Government to publish a plan by September 2022 to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows and to report progress to Parliament on implementing that plan. We are also introducing duties requiring water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operations on an annual basis. These legally binding obligations on water companies and the Government will reduce pollution in rivers – protecting wildlife and public health.</p><p> </p><p>Water companies are currently committed in the 5-year business planning period (2020-25) to a significant programme of improvements to the monitoring and management of storm overflows at a cost of around £1.1 billion. This investment includes undertaking 800 investigations and 798 improvement schemes to provide environmental improvements by reducing spills from frequently spilling overflows.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/05/2021 13:42:16 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1602530

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2023
	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	Electronic Training Aids
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward the ban on electric shock collars.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	161445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>We plan to introduce regulations soon which will prohibit the use of remote controlled electronic training collars that deliver an electric shock to cats and dogs.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 16/03/2023 13:57:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards

1602531

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2023
	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	Electronic Training Aids
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse of case R (The Electronic Collar Manufacturers Association and Petsafe) v DEFRA was; and when she plans to introduce the ban on electric shock collars.
	tabling member constituency	West Bromwich East
	tabling member printed	Nicola Richards
	uin	161446
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment of the costs to the Department in responding to this case, which was concluded in Defra’s favour. We plan to introduce regulations soon which will prohibit the use of remote controlled electronic training collars that deliver an electric shock to cats and dogs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 16/03/2023 13:52:39 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4868 label Biography information for Nicola Richards