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1127540

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	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	Animal Welfare
	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 he is taking to help ensure that local authorities have the resources to enforce the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	tabling member constituency	Bridgend
	tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
	uin	256270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities, in common with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the police, have powers of entry to inspect complaints of suspected animal cruelty and take out prosecutions where necessary. Local authorities are able to make decisions based on local needs and the arrangements that work best for them, and it is for local authorities to determine how to prioritise their resources. The Government is investing in Britain’s future, and this year’s local government finance settlement includes extra funding for local services. Local authorities will have access to £46.4 billion this financial year (2019/20) to meet the needs of their residents. This is a cash increase of 2.8% and a real terms increase which will strengthen services and support for local communities.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 22/05/2019 15:59:51 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

1126623

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Baby Care Units: Mental Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of long-term mental health support given to parents of babies discharged from neonatal units.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	254232
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Perinatal mental health services are available to all parents, including parents of babies that have been discharged from neonatal units, when they need it.</p><p>In April 2019, NHS England confirmed that new and expectant mothers across the country are now able to access specialist mental health care in the area where they live. The rollout of specialist community services across the whole of England, means that those suffering from perinatal mental health problems are able to access high quality care much closer to home.</p><p> </p><p>The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health committed to invest £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services to ensure that, by 2020/21, at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. Specialist care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support. Support will also be extended to fathers and partners of women accessing specialist perinatal mental health services and maternity outreach clinics.</p> answering member constituency Thurrock answering member printed Jackie Doyle-Price question first answered 22/05/2019 16:41:06 answering member 4065 label Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1126332

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banking Hubs: Competition
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update competition law to allow for shared banking hubs in areas where local bank branches have been closed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15692
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Branch closures can be difficult for the communities affected and the Government pays close attention to this issue. However, the decision to close a branch is a commercial one for a firm, and Government does not intervene in those decisions.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government is equally clear that as banking providers seek to respond to technological advances and changes in customer behaviour, they must also consider carefully the needs of those who still rely on their local bank branch. Since May 2017, the major high street banks have been signed up to the Access to Banking Standard, which commits them to work with customers and communities to minimise the impact of branch closures and put in place alternative banking services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also supports the Post Office Banking Framework Agreement which enables 99% of the UK’s personal and 95% of the UK’s small business customers to withdraw money, deposit cash and cheques and check balances at any one of the Post Office’s network of 11,500 branches.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While banks do have to comply with competition law, there is no specific regulation that prevents banks from sharing branches or other premises where their strategies align. The Government therefore has no plans to update competition law on this basis. Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions, but will continue to encourage banks to think creatively about how they can ensure that consumers can access a wide range of banking services on a sustainable basis. For example, NatWest, Lloyds Bank and Barclays are trialling shared business banking hubs in 6 locations across the UK in the coming weeks.</p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham question first answered 22/05/2019 16:37:43 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1126531

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	CCTV: Biometrics
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of facial recognition in CCTV.
	tabling member constituency	Haltemprice and Howden
	tabling member printed	Mr David Davis
	uin	254130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Facial recognition is a fast evolving area of technology with the potential to streamline identity verification and authentication processes across Government and the private sector.</p><p>Its performance is dependent on a number of variables, from the quality of the images, environmental factors, the specific algorithm used, the thresholds or risk profile applied and many other factors. Possible matches produced by LFR systems are always checked by a human operator before deciding what, if any, action to take.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 22/05/2019 16:11:43 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	373 label Biography information for Sir David Davis

1126945

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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	Cats and Dogs: Imports
	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 ensure compliance with the Balai Directive to protect the UK from disease in relation to EU and Third country imports of stray cats and dogs.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	254769
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Defra takes the threat to public and animal health posed by animals entering the United Kingdom (UK) very seriously. This includes the rescue and rehoming of stray cats and dogs from EU and Third countries under the Balai Directive, which is classed as a commercial import not as a pet import. Importation of stray dogs and cats, whose history is unknown can pose a biosecurity risk to the UK and therefore enforcement measures are in place to ensure compliance.</p><p> </p><p>All consignments of stray dogs or cats from Third countries must enter through a Border Inspection Post (BIP), and receive documentary, physical and identity checks upon arrival for compliance with import requirements.</p><p> </p><p>All EU consignments of dogs or cats receive documentary checks on entry and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) conduct further checks post-import. A risk-based approach is used to determine which consignments receive a further post-importation identity and documentary check at their destination in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Where animals fail to meet the necessary health requirements for entry to the UK, they must either be quarantined until compliant, returned to their country of origin, or euthanised – all at the expense of the owner or importer. This helps to preserve the UK’s high standards of biosecurity, and acts as a deterrent to those who might otherwise be motivated to abuse Balai import requirements. The UK CVO is in correspondence with her EU counterparts in Member States where issues of non-compliance have been detected.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 22/05/2019 16:08:56 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1126962

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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	Construction: Trading Standards
	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 assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Trading Standards in protecting consumers from rogue and incompetent builders in the construction industry.
	tabling member constituency	Morecambe and Lunesdale
	tabling member printed	David Morris
	uin	254821
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made, but the Government is considering options to ensure that our system of consumer protection provides a robust response to both local and national threats for the Consumer White Paper.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme to reduce the number of rogue and incompetent builders; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.</p><p> </p><p>TrustMark is actively involved with Trading Standards to provide further protection to consumers affected by rogue builders.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/05/2019 16:20:22 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 119032 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4135 label Biography information for David Morris

1127020

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Credit
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increase in complaints regarding short-term and payday lenders related to those suffering with problem debt.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15781
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA requires payday lenders to carry out robust affordability checks, limits the number of times a payday loan can be rolled over to two, places tough restrictions on lenders’ use of continuous payment authorities, and requires all payday lending adverts to include a risk warning and information about where to get free debt advice.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers and to take action against firms and individuals that do not meet its standards. In 2018, the FCA issued total fines of £60 million.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>On problem debt more broadly, the Government is implementing its manifesto commitment to introduce a breathing space and statutory debt repayment plan. The two polices aim to give people in problem debt the opportunity to take control of their finances and put them on a sustainable footing.</p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham question first answered 22/05/2019 16:23:21 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1127496

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Crimes of Violence: Radicalism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reported instances of far-right violence have been recorded in each of the past 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Don Valley
	tabling member printed	Caroline Flint
	uin	256229
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office routinely collects and releases data on the number of violent offences recorded by the police in England and Wales.This data does not include information on whether the violence was motivated by far-right ideology or not.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 22/05/2019 16:14:32 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	389 label Biography information for Caroline Flint

1126555

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Sick Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	254064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The number of employees in the Department for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial Strategy (BEIS) during the calendar year of 2018 who were absent due to mental health reasons, including stress was 59, this represented 1.5% of the total workforce. The proportion of sickness absence related to mental health reasons, including stress, was 23% of the overall sickness absence for the department for the same time period.</p><p> </p><p>The estimated cost to the department over this period for employees taking sickness absence, is estimated at £1,421,738.30.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS is committed to supporting the wellbeing of its staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace, and has a Wellbeing Strategy that includes a specific focus on supporting good mental health in its employees. This strategy is based in part on the Civil Service Health and Wellbeing Strategy that also includes the promotion of good mental health for all as one of its five priorities. Through a programme of wellbeing events and speakers, a growing cohort of mental health first aiders, promotion and signposting of the employee assistance programme, and e-learning packages for staff on stress, resilience and wellbeing, the Department has seen continued awareness and engagement on wellbeing and good mental health.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 22/05/2019 16:20:29 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126573

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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: Sick Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in her Department; and what the cost was to her Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	254082
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department recognises its legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of our employees; this includes identifying and reducing workplace stressors. Our approach is a holistic one that utilises the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards for work related stress and follows key principles to help identify and reduce work place stressors.</p><p> </p><p>2,473 employees took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months which represents 3% of our paid staff. As a percentage, such absences equated to 10.7% of all Working Days Lost due to sickness absence. However, as the Department continues to pay salaries during sickness absence there is no direct financial cost.</p><p> </p><p>Our approach to absence is fair but robust with the emphasis on health promotion and absence prevention. The Department has a range of support from mental health toolkits, stress reduction plans plus tailored support for people who do go off sick or need support through our Employee Assistance Programme which includes counselling.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has 965 Mental Health First Aiders, who provide acute, short-term and structured support to individuals, provide reassurance and signpost colleagues to both DWP and external sources of support as appropriate. Mental Health First Aiders are also provided with continuous professional development and support for their own mental wellbeing.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 22/05/2019 16:17:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake