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1721562

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2024
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Taxis: Licensing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Deregulation Act 2015 on the number and proportion of licences to operate taxis within local authority areas that were granted by other local authorities; and what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of licences to operate taxis in Harlow that were granted by local authorities other than Harlow Council in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Chris Vince
	uin	277
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2024 answer text <p>The Deregulation Act 2015 enabled Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) operators to sub-contract bookings to each other across licensing boundaries, but the legislation has always allowed taxis and PHVs to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed, but pre-booked work by PHVs and taxis can be undertaken anywhere.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Transport does not hold any information about the number and proportion of PHV drivers operating in the Harlow area but licensed by other licensing authorities. As of 1 April 2023, there were 346,300 licensed taxi and PHV drivers in England, of which 264 were licensed by Harlow Council.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wakefield and Rothwell answering member printed Simon Lightwood question first answered 26/07/2024 12:52:07 answering member 4943 label Biography information for Simon Lightwood
	tabling member	5237

1723018

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Gender Based Violence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government plans to take to tackle violence against women and girls.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Chris Vince
	uin	1402
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2024 answer text <p>This Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.</p><p> </p><p>The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable, and we have set out our mission to halve it within a decade. Achieving this means overhauling every aspect of society’s response to these devastating crimes.</p><p> </p><p>This includes drastically improving the police and wider criminal justice response, including targeting the most prolific and harmful perpetrators to better protect victims and preventing reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>Prevention and education are fundamental to our approach, and we will also tackle the root causes of these crimes, including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.</p> answering member constituency Birmingham Yardley answering member printed Jess Phillips question first answered 29/07/2024 09:22:33 answering member 4370 label Biography information for Jess Phillips
	tabling member	5237

1727502

	registered interest
	date	27/08/2024
	answering body	Department for Business and Trade
	answering dept id	214
	answering dept short name	Business and Trade
	answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
	hansard heading	UK Trade with EU
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to remove barriers to trade with the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Chris Vince
	uin	900189
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2024 answer text <p>The Department is working with the European Union and Members States to break down trade barriers. As part of this agenda, we need effective ongoing dialogue with both British businesses and the European Union. As part of this, later today, Minister Thomas and I are hosting a roundtable to gather views from businesses on how the UK-EU trading relationship can be improved. My officials are also engaging with businesses to understand the barriers they face and how this Government can support then to grow and export to the European Union.</p> answering member constituency Lothian East answering member printed Mr Douglas Alexander grouped question UIN 900193 question first answered 05/09/2024 15:35:41 answering member 632 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Alexander
	tabling member	5237

1728261

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Sir Frederick Gibberd College
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the unsuccessful module building project on students at Sir Frederick Gibberd school in Harlow.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Chris Vince
	uin	4829
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2024 answer text <p>The department has not completed a formal assessment of the impact of the Caledonian building works on pupils. However, the department is aware of the significant disruption for the school and pupils. The department continues to work closely with the trust and local authority to ensure all pupils at Sir Frederick Gibberd College receive an excellent education in a safe and secure environment.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth South answering member printed Stephen Morgan question first answered 19/09/2024 12:51:13 answering member 4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan
	tabling member	5237

1128045

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Hospitals: Parking
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	If she will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the abolition of hospital car parking charges in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	910963
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The matter of hospital car parking is devolved in Northern Ireland and it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to intervene.</p><p><br>In the absence of devolved government it remains for NI Permanent Secretaries to take the decisions they believe necessary in line with the guidance the Secretary of State set out last November, to keep the country running.</p> answering member constituency Weston-super-Mare answering member printed John Penrose question first answered 22/05/2019 14:00:54 answering member 1584 label Biography information for John Penrose
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1128524

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	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	Poultry: 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, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that supermarkets which have committed to stop selling eggs from hens kept in enriched cages by 2025 meet that target.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	257735
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>I am aware that all major supermarkets have committed to stop selling eggs from hens kept in enriched cages by 2025. This is a voluntary initiative and as a result it is not necessary for the Government to take steps to help ensure they meet that target. The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and the welfare of our farmed livestock in all systems is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation.</p><p> </p><p>Consumers can make an informed choice as, under Commission Regulation (EC) 589/2008 laying down detailed rules as regards marketing standards for eggs, it is a requirement to include an indication of the farming method on the packs and the eggs themselves.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 257736 question first answered 10/06/2019 14:16:19 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1128525

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	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	Poultry: 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 the Government is taking to encourage supermarkets to stop selling eggs from hens kept in enriched cages before 2025.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	257736
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>I am aware that all major supermarkets have committed to stop selling eggs from hens kept in enriched cages by 2025. This is a voluntary initiative and as a result it is not necessary for the Government to take steps to help ensure they meet that target. The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and the welfare of our farmed livestock in all systems is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation.</p><p> </p><p>Consumers can make an informed choice as, under Commission Regulation (EC) 589/2008 laying down detailed rules as regards marketing standards for eggs, it is a requirement to include an indication of the farming method on the packs and the eggs themselves.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 257735 question first answered 10/06/2019 14:16:19 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1130384

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the impartiality of Ofsted of that organisation being responsible for the inspection of the quality of apprenticeships.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	261188
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Ofsted is a non-ministerial department, which reports directly to Parliament. It inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. Its role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training and care services in England for children and students do so to a high standard. Ofsted inspects a range of provider types and different types of provision, including apprenticeships. It does so impartially, as an independent body.</p><p>For more information on how Ofsted inspects apprenticeships, please see the current Further Education and Skills Inspection Handbook here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook</a> An updated version of the Handbook, released under the new Education Inspection Framework, is due to take effect from September 2019 and can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook-eif" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook-eif</a></p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 13/06/2019 13:17:14 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1132840

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2019
	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	Inland Waterways and Rivers: Pollution Control
	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 clean up rivers and waterways to ensure that they are safe habitats for (a) wildlife and (b) recreational swimmers.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	266165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Current updated River Basin Management Plans, published in 2016, provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment for wildlife, people and the economy for the period up to 2021. Plans for England confirm over £3 billion of investment by 2021, leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies, with an overall target to enhance at least 5000 miles of waters by 2021. These plans will be reviewed and updated in 2021 to take account of progress that has been made and what can be achieved by 2027.</p><p> </p><p>Over the last two decades there have been significant improvements in water quality in rivers. Independent analysis of Environment Agency (EA) data by the University of Cardiff in 2014 showed that wildlife such as Atlantic salmon, mayflies, and dippers dependent on cleaner waters have been progressively recolonising in England's urban rivers over this 20 year period. However, there is still more to do to improve river habitats and to protect the environment from deterioration in the future.</p><p> </p><p>For recreational swimmers, there are over 400 locations in England formally designated as bathing waters which are managed to meet stringent water quality standards to protect health. The EA monitors these waters throughout the bathing season (May to September), investigates pollution sources and works with partners to reduce pollution risks. The EA also issues daily forecasts of bathing water during the bathing season on the internet to help inform bathers of pollution risks. In 2018, 97.9% of bathing waters met minimum standards sufficient for bathing and 67.1% met even more stringent standards.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 24/06/2019 14:31:59 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1133329

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether he has had discussions with the CPS on removing reference to the merits-based approach from (a) guidance and (b) training materials on rape and sexual offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	266818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are horrific crimes and can have a devastating impact on victims, and the CPS will always seek to prosecute where there is sufficient evidence to do so. The Attorney General and I regularly discuss issues related to rape and sexual offences with the CPS; however, charging decisions are made independently by the CPS.</p><p> </p><p>There has been no change in policy in how the CPS makes charging decisions in rape cases. Prosecutors in the CPS follow a ‘Code’, which sets out a well-established two stage test that a case must pass before a charge can be made. The first stage of this test is the evidential stage, which considers whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction against each suspect on each charge. That test has remained and continues to remain the same. It applies to every single offence no matter how minor or serious.</p><p> </p><p>The Code that prosecutors follow has never included any specific reference to a merits-based assessment of the realistic prospect of conviction because it is an integral part of the evidential test. The second stage of the test is whether it is in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution, this is considered after the evidential stage is fulfilled.</p><p> </p><p>From 2009, DPP guidance included reference to a merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Following an inspection by HMCPSI in 2016, it became clear that including a separate reference to the merits based approach in the guidance was causing confusion leading to the incorrect application of the code test. To avoid this confusion, changes were made to the guidance provided by the DPP to prosecutors, including removing a document on the merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Those changes should not have, and did not have any impact on the proper application of the Code test that prosecutors follow when making a decision on whether to charge.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 28/06/2019 12:06:30 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon