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1109019

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2019
	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	Food Banks: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of foodbank use in Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	240070
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has not made an assessment of the levels of foodbank use in Scotland.</p><p>The welfare system provides a strong safety net for those who need it, spending over £95 billion a year on welfare benefits for people of working age. This includes a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans as an additional safeguard for those who need them.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre mangers have discretion to work with food banks in their local area; and we are exploring how to build on current good practice to make it as easy as possible for food banks to identify and refer back to the local Jobcentre any customers who may not be receiving the full formal support to which they are entitled</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 15:57:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1125925

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2019
	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	Food Banks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the sanctions system on levels of foodbank use among claimants.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	252866
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not keep official statistics on foodback use as there are many reasons why people use foodbanks.</p><p>Nevertheless, as a measured safeguard The Department offers financial support to those claimants who have been sanctioned. We have a well-established system of hardship payments for claimants who cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/05/2019 15:21:59 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1127575

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	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	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, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the benefits freeze on the incomes of households with children.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	256366
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2019 answer text <p>An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015, this is available in the link below.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Welfare Reforms such as the benefit freeze were designed to incentivise parents to choose to move into and progress in work. Evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty. Children in workless households are five time more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. Since 2007/08, the incomes of the poorest fifth have increased by over £850 above inflation, whereas the incomes of the richest fifth have increased by around £650.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/05/2019 12:21:19 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1130982

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of universal credit on the level of rent arrears owed to Scottish local authorities; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	262433
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department has not made an assessment of this nature.</p><p> </p><p>Caution should be exercised when considering any assessment of arrears derived from local authority level data which seeks to compare the legacy and Universal Credit welfare systems. This is because they do not compare groups with the same characteristics; typically, the legacy benefit group have been on benefits for some time, where the arrears may be under long-term management. The Universal Credit group, on the other hand, are often new to benefits, and are likely to have experienced a change in their circumstances – for example, a debt-creating event like losing a job or separation. Any arrears for this group will not have been under management and had time to clear.</p><p> </p><p>The initial analytical work we have carried out with a housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, that their arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of other housing providers. It will be published when completed. Furthermore, according to latest figures in November 2018 about 8 per cent of social rented households were on Universal Credit; therefore, it is difficult to see how a national trend can be attributed to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>We have, however, responded to concerns in this area by putting a number of safeguards in place, such as 100% advances repayable over 12 months, increasing to 16 months in October 2021; a two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment; a new Help to Claim service to assist people to make their claim more easily; and Managed Payment to Landlord Arrangements, which allow for payments direct to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments, is unlikely to pay their rent or is in rent arrears equivalent to two months.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in Scotland, the Department delivers Universal Credit Scottish choices on behalf of the Scottish Government, providing the option of Universal Credit being paid twice a month rather than monthly, and having Universal Credit housing element being paid directly to landlords.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2019 15:28:46 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1050471

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Knives: Crime
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle incidents of knife crime on the railways.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	214072
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2019 answer text <p>The chances of being a victim of crime, on the railways or elsewhere, remain extremely low. However, the Government is very concerned about increases in knife crime and its impact on victims, families and communities. The action we are taking is set out in our Serious Violence Strategy and includes new legislation in the Offensive Weapons Bill and continuing police action under Operation Sceptre. The British Transport Police also participate in Operation Sceptre and we expect the next national week of action to take place in March 2019.</p><p>More widely, we have also been supporting the #knifefree media campaign to raise awareness of the consequences of knife crime and discourage young people from carrying knives more generally. The Serious Violence Strategy includes a strong focus on prevention and early intervention to stop young people being drawn in to knife crime. Our Early Intervention Youth Fund of £22 million is already supporting 29 projects in England and Wales. Over £17 million has already been allocated to projects delivering interventions to young people at risk of criminal involvement, gang exploitation and county lines.</p><p>We are supporting 68 small community projects this year through the anti-knife crime Community Fund. In addition, we have extended our support for Redthread in hospital emergency departments to introduce its “teachable moment” youth violence intervention work to hospi-tals in Birmingham and Nottingham.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 26/02/2019 15:31:01 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

933910

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2018
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Paternity Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government is taking steps to give fathers (a) longer and (b) better-paid paternity leave.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	159697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2018 answer text <p>We know that helping parents to share care is good for parents and children, particularly in the crucial early months of their child’s life.</p><p>The Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes enable fathers and partners to be their child’s main carer if this is best for the family. Qualifying working couples can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay. From February to April 2018, the Government ran a joint £1.5m campaign to promote Shared Parental Leave.</p><p>As part of the evaluation of Shared Parental Leave and Pay we are collecting information on the take up of paternity benefits, including survey data on the take up of paternity leave and pay, which will inform the development of policy in this area.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 09/07/2018 13:45:26 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

964786

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	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	Charities: Equality
	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 steps he is taking to help improve diversity in the charity sector.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	169691
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>Encouraging greater diversity in the charity starts with ensuring that the sector’s leaders are truly representative of the communities they serve.</p><p> </p><p>Last year we worked with the Charity Commission to carry out research into trustees. The Taken on Trust report found that there was a lack of diversity among boards of trustees. In the Civil Society Strategy published last month, the government committed to working with partners in the Charity sector to address this challenge. This work is getting started now and more detail will be available in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 11/09/2018 13:41:17 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

964789

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	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	Youth Services
	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 steps the Government is taking to enable young people to participate in open access youth work.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	169694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>The provision of open access youth services in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government.</p><p> </p><p>Government recognises the transformational impact that open access youth work can have especially for young people facing multiple barriers of disadvantage, that is why we have invested £40m in the Youth Investment Fund to boost open access youth services in 6 disadvantaged areas and expect over 300,000 young people to benefit.</p><p> </p><p>However Local Authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide sufficient open access services in their area. We believe they are best placed to know what is required in their communities.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced in the Civil Society Strategy its commitment to reviewing the guidance which sets out the statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide appropriate local youth services. Further announcements will be made in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 11/09/2018 13:43:22 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

964792

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	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	Railways: Fares
	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 his Department has made of the effect of recent changes in the cost of train travel on sports fans.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	169697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>The Government sets the limit by which train operators can increase regulated rail fares in line with July’s retail price index (RPI). This limit will be 3.2% in 2019. The Government monitors how rail fares change, and keeps under review the way fare levels are calculated. We also welcome and encourage measures by sports clubs that acknowledge and take account of the wider financial burden on travelling supporters.</p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 11/09/2018 12:37:48 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

390839

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2015
	answering body	House of Commons Commission
	answering dept id	18
	answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
	answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
	hansard heading	House of Commons: Uniforms
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Rt. Hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will take steps to allow door-keeping staff a summer uniform made from lighter materials to reduce discomfort in hot weather.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Phil Boswell
	uin	7716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>Doorkeeping staff who perform a variety of outside and inside duties have a range of uniforms to wear as appropriate. Senior Doorkeepers who exclusively perform inside duties, and predominantly around the Chamber (which has cooling), have one uniform. These uniforms are 'bespoke' and to provide a second uniform would have considerable resource implications. The Serjeant at Arms has not received any requests from the Doorkeeping staff to either create a summer version of the uniform or to 'dress down' during hotter weather.</p> answering member constituency Carshalton and Wallington answering member printed Tom Brake question first answered 21/07/2015 09:20:06 answering member 151 label Biography information for Tom Brake
	tabling member	4388 label Biography information for Philip Boswell