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1146261

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Africa: Renewable Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prime Minister's support for solar technology in African countries in his speech to the UN General Assembly on 24 September 2019, what steps the Government is taking to support (a) solar projects in Africa and (b) the sharing of renewable technology.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	291013
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>DFID’s support to clean energy in Africa is delivered through a range of programmes. We provide funding to support the installation of more off-grid solar power such as through mini-grid projects (e.g. in Kenya and Rwanda). We are helping to establish markets in a number of African countries for household solar power so poor people have access to affordable clean energy. We are also supporting private sector solar projects through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and development finance interventions such as CDC, the Private Infrastructure Development Group, and the Multilateral Development Banks.</p><p> </p><p>Over the last seven years the UK has provided 26 million people with improved access to clean energy and installed 1,600 MW of clean energy capacity.</p><p> </p><p>At the G7, the Prime Minister announced the UK would double its support to the GCF, the principal climate multilateral, to £1.44bn over the next four years, to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy such as solar power. A range of existing GCF projects are supporting solar power in Africa. For example a GCF project is helping 50 poor, rural communities in Mali to switch from fossil fuel-powered diesel generators and kerosene lamps to green energy by installing solar mini-grids.</p><p> </p><p>The Prime Minister announced at the UN Climate Action Summit funding of up to £1 billion for research, development and demonstration of new technologies and business models to unlock opportunities in developing countries for cleaner growth and better access to clean energy. Emerging technology areas to be supported include for example, energy storage, new cooling technologies, next generation solar, and technologies for industrial decarbonisation.</p> answering member constituency Richmond Park answering member printed Zac Goldsmith question first answered 30/09/2019 17:11:02 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1141123

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	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	Employment: Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to tackle the rise of in-work poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	280471
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2019 answer text <p>There is clear evidence that work offers people the best opportunity to get out of poverty. A working-age adult living in a household where every adult is working is about 6 times less likely to be in relative poverty than one living in a household where nobody works.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit (UC) replaces six outdated and complex benefits with one – it is simplifying the benefits system and making work pay. As a result, people claiming UC move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings. UC provides more help with childcare costs (eligible claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70% on the legacy system), a dedicated Work Coach, and removes the 16-hour ‘cliff edge’ for workers.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to conduct research and analysis to enhance our understanding surrounding working claimants, as well as working with stakeholders and customers to develop our approach. Our Work Coaches are fully trained to provide tailored advice on career development to help claimants explore ways to grow their earnings.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/07/2019 10:57:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1172530

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2020
	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	Food Poverty: Newcastle upon Tyne
	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 plans to take to tackle food poverty in Newcastle upon Tyne constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	6678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>The government is committed to delivering a sustainable long-term solution to poverty in all its forms and in all parts of the UK by building a strong economy and ensuring that the benefit system works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay.</p><p>The evidence shows that full time work substantially reduces the risk of being in poverty. Universal Credit is designed to help people move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings, provides more financial help with childcare costs and removes the 16-hour ‘cliff edge<strong>’</strong> for those who are working. To help families keep more of what they earn we have delivered another rise in the National Living Wage, increasing a full-time worker’s annual pay by over £2,750 since its introduction, and by nearly £3,700 with the recently announced rise from this April, with our tax changes making basic rate tax payers over £1,200 better off from April 2019, compared with 2010.</p><p>In order to develop a better understanding of the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk we have introduced a new set of food security questions in the Family Resources Survey questionnaire from April 2019 onwards. This will enable us in the future to monitor the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity across the UK and for specific groups.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 7197 question first answered 28/01/2020 17:41:58 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 3147 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1176896

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2020
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her oral contribution of 7 October 2019, Official Report, column 1496, what recent assessment she has made of the level of minimum income that a person needs to meet essential living costs after the benefits freeze ends in 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	13532
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State completed her annual review of benefits and pensions in November and I refer you to her statement of 4 November:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/</a></p><p> </p><p>We continue to monitor the impact of our policies by assessing the trends in low income, using our annual Households Below Average Income publication.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/02/2020 10:16:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1175735

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Low Incomes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to free legal support for people on low incomes.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	11534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2020 answer text <p>A full review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 was published in February 2019.</p><p>In response to these findings and alongside the review, the Legal Support Action Plan was published to address the key challenges identified and outline the steps the government will be taking to improve the way people are supported as they experience legal problems.</p><p>In addition to a series of support pilots to test early forms of intervention that stop people’s problems from escalating, the government will invest up to £5m into a Legal Support Innovation Fund to explore the role technology can play in helping people identify and resolve their legal issues. We are also enhancing the support on offer to litigants in person by providing a further £3m of funding over the next two years, ensuring that those representing themselves in court understand the process and are better supported through it.</p><p>Access to justice is a fundamental right and government is committed to ensuring that everyone can get the timely support they need to access the justice system.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 06/02/2020 15:13:36 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1133854

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2019
	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	Ukraine: Aviation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Dutch and (b) Russian counterparts on supporting the enforcement of the warrants issued for those charged with shooting down flight MH17.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	267745
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>​As envisaged by UN Security Council Resolution 2166, HMG and UK law enforcement officials are in close contact with their Dutch counterparts and the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) into the shooting down of flight MH17.</p><p>The execution of any individual warrants is a matter for the UK's independent police services.</p><p>On 19 June the MH17 JIT and the Dutch National Prosecutor announced they were charging four suspects with the murder of 298 people and causing the crash of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine. In his statement that day, the Foreign Secretary, called on Russia to cooperate fully in the investigation. This would include assisting with the arrest of the suspects, facilitating their questioning by Dutch investigators and the JIT, facilitating their presence at trial, and if necessary, enforcing any sentences.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 26/06/2019 09:52:30 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1133856

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2019
	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	Ukraine: Aviation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support he is providing to the families of the victims of the shooting down of flight MH17 now that suspects have been charged.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	267746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>​All families of British nationals who died in the MH17 crash were provided with consular assistance. This assistance included referrals to victim support organisations, advice on repatriation, updates on the investigation, and the deployment of a Family Liaison Officer (for those based in the UK). We recognise that the upcoming trial process may be distressing for the bereaved families and we have contacted them either via the UK Police or directly to offer further assistance at this time.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 26/06/2019 09:54:48 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1132964

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Africa
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which UK visa application centres in Africa were closed between 2017 and 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	266255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>UK Visas &amp; Immigration closed no Visa Application Centres in Africa between 2017 and 2019. However, in the same period we opened additional centres in Kenya (Mombasa), Morocco (Casablanca) and Algeria (Oran). We have also introduced an annual Visa Application Centre in the Seychelles for our customers applying for student visas.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 09/09/2019 15:41:37 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1127183

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Mental Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prison officers have received training on when to refer a person for mental health support.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	255325
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Over 14,000 staff have already received the new suicide and self-harm reduction training which includes a module on Mental Health Awareness, in addition to the safer custody training already provided across the estate.</p><p> </p><p>Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) is a mandatory 12 week programme for all new entrant officers to give them the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their role. There are a number of sessions on Mental Health within this training, including: ‘Introduction to Mental Health’, ‘Introduction to Suicide and Self Harm (SASH) Prevention’ and ‘Personality Disorders.’ This training will enable staff to identify any concerns and submit the appropriate referral to healthcare professionals.</p><p> </p><p>The following e-learning training is also available on Civil Service Learning for all staff working in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service:</p><ul><li>Mental Health Conditions and Dementia: Support for Customers</li><li>Mental Health at Work</li><li>Wellbeing, Resilience and Stress</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 21/05/2019 15:40:38 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1127184

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Death and Self-harm
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of self-harm and deaths in custody among the prison population.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	255326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Prisons should be places of safety and reform. We recognise that the current level of suicide and self-harm is too high. With this in mind, the Government is taking unprecedented action, including:</p><ul><li>investing in over 4,700 additional staff since October 2015;</li><li>introducing new suicide and self-harm prevention training, which has already reached over 24,000 staff;</li><li>improving support for prisoners in their early days and weeks and rolling out a ‘key worker’ scheme which ensures each prisoner has dedicated support from a particular prison officer;</li><li>funding the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme for a further three years; and</li><li>improving the ACCT case management process for those identified as at risk of self-harm or suicide.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We are also committed to taking action to improve prisoners’ health. Since April 2018, a new National Partnership Agreement has been in place, marking an even stronger level of co-operation and cohesiveness between agencies that influence the policy, commissioning and delivery of prison health services. The agreement sets out how the partnership (DHSC, NHS England, MoJ, HMPPS and Public Health England) will work together to deliver its three core objectives. It agrees ten key priority areas for 2018-2021, including reducing incidents of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in the adult secure estate.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, NHS England has published a new Service Specification for Integrated Substance Misuse Treatment Services in Prisons in England, which brings greater focus to the treatment of users of psychoactive substances and makes stronger links to mental health.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 21/05/2019 16:11:36 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah