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1421219

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Agriculture: Red Diesel
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reconsider the Government's changes to the entitlement for farmers' use of red diesel, so that farmers are not required to drain tractors' tanks to refill with white diesel for a single day of ploughing competition, and the following day drain the tank of white diesel and refill with red diesel.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	121806
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>The Chancellor confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government will remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022, other than for agriculture and a limited number of other users. This will help to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels and that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies.</p><p> </p><p>Agricultural vehicles will be entitled to run on rebated fuel after April 2022 for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fish farming. They will also be able to use rebated fuel when cutting verges and hedges that border a road, clearing snow, gritting, and clearing or otherwise dealing with flooding.</p><p> </p><p>The activities accepted as falling within the definition of agriculture, horticulture and forestry are defined in HMRC Excise Notice 75. As agricultural shows and ploughing matches provide information and education that benefits agricultural purposes, the Government considers that running or participating in these activities are purposes relating to agriculture, for which rebated fuel may be used in qualifying vehicles and machines, and will be updating Excise Notice 75 accordingly. Rebated fuel can also be used to travel to and from where the vehicles or machines are to be used for these activities.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 25/02/2022 14:22:10 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1469796

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum visa applications.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	16995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>To help reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum applications we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up and simplify our processes, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.</p><p> </p><p>These initiatives include conducting shorter, more focused interviews or omitting interviews where it is appropriate to do so, streamlining decision templates and focusing on improving quality to ensure decisions are right first time. We have introduced specialist Decision Making Units, providing greater ownership and management of cohorts of asylum cases. Additionally, we have extensive ongoing recruitment and training plans in place, including career progression options to aid the retention of staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and move away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/06/2022 16:33:57 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1663752

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made (a) a comparative assessment of the speed of processing asylum claims for (i) her Department's existing method and (ii) alternative methods and (b) an assessment of the efficiency of alternative methods taken by other nations.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	201605
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>We have taken immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system. This includes simplifying guidance and streamlining processes. We have also introduced shorter, focussed interviews, making the interview process more efficient.</p><p>The asylum backlog of legacy cases had fallen by over 35,000 cases, between the end of November 2022 and the end of August 2023, and has continued to fall since the last publication of statistics.</p><p>Information on the legacy backlog is published online in the IMB_02 Tab of the data table regarding Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Act - GOV.UK (<a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CMark.McLaughlin2%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C13fafc2fb7e04b123d6308dbce3cef89%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638330533328633817%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=S6SmN5XuJffLuwEqfIL%2BQbqt84HF93ZEckLz%2BayoJOw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)</a>). This data is provisional and has not been cleansed to remove duplicates.</p><p>In the year ending June 2023, there were 23,702 initial decisions made on asylum applications, 61% more than in the previous year. This is in part due to an increase in the number of asylum decision makers employed by the Home Office.</p><p>We are confident that with increased capacity and improved efficiency this will help deliver further significant output over the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 23/10/2023 15:10:48 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1469798

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her target date is for the completion of her full dispersal accommodation plan for asylum seekers.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	16996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>On 13 April the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration announced the Home Office would move, with immediate effect, to a policy of full dispersal for the procurement asylum accommodation. We are working in partnership with local authorities to develop full dispersal plans down to a region/nation level. Whilst these plans are being developed procurement under this policy has commenced and any properties procured during the interim period will be accounted for in region/nations plans. This process is being informed by the informal consultation which was launched on 9 May and closes on 1 July.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/06/2022 16:43:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1490191

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect the mental health of vulnerable asylum seekers.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	38700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>Asylum seekers have full access to the NHS upon arrival in the UK.</p><p>All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers.</p><p>The Safeguarding Hub works closely with the statutory agencies to signpost vulnerable customers for support with their health and social care needs.</p><p>The Government is planning to provide an additional £2.3 billion a year for mental health services by 2023/24, the largest increase in mental health funding in NHS history.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 25/07/2022 14:37:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1689441

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of weekly payments to asylum seekers in catered accommodation being under £10 on their ability to access cash.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	14340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of destitute asylum seekers. Support is usually provided in the form of accommodation and a weekly allowance loaded onto a payment card called an Aspen card, which can be used to make purchases from retail outlets.</p><p>Individuals living in catered accommodation are issued a reduced weekly payment to cover essential living items that are not met by their accommodation provider, such as clothing and travel.</p><p>The level of allowance is reviewed each year to ensure it covers an individual's essential living needs. Following the 2023 review, allowances have increased for many supported individuals including pregnant women and young children.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 26/02/2024 17:14:50 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1489665

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Temporary Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department makes an assessment of the (a) location and (b) cost of temporary accommodation when determining the order in which asylum seekers in that accommodation are given interviews.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	37513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office do not make an assessment of the location or cost of temporary accommodation when determining the order in which asylum seekers are given interviews; our usual tasking priorities are followed.</p><p>We are currently concentrating on deciding older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. Additionally, we are prioritising cases where an individual has already received a decision, but a reconsideration is required.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum Operations have also introduced a digital interviewing capability as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme. This enables us to maximise our capacity to conduct interviews in locations across the UK and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 28/07/2022 10:22:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1483576

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Bank Services: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that victims of financial abuse are not (a) disallowed from mortgages, (b) given poor credit ratings and (c) negatively impacted in other ways by the finance industry.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	25904
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government is strongly committed to tackle financial exclusion and discrimination and aims for everyone, whatever their background or income, to be able to access useful and affordable financial products and services. The Government works closely together with regulators, the financial services industry and other stakeholders, to ensure that all consumers of financial services are appropriately protected.</p><p> </p><p>Industry-agreed principles, rather than government policy, determine what and how information is shared between organisations and Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs). CRAs then hold this information on individuals’ credit files and use it to create a credit score.</p><p> </p><p>Consumers can add a Notice (of up to 200 words) to their credit file explaining any circumstances, such as being a victim of financial abuse, that may impact decisions made about their applications for credit, including mortgages. Lenders should take the content of this Notice into account alongside the other information on the credit file. In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is currently undertaking a Credit Information Market Study which is assessing how the sector is working now and how it may develop in the future. The FCA will publish an interim report in summer 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA is also currently developing a new Consumer Duty, which would require firms to place more emphasis on the needs of all customers, including those who are vulnerable or at risk of being financially excluded. The FCA is required to publish its final rules before the end of July.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to this, in February 2021, the FCA also published its finalised guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, setting out a number of best practices (<a href="https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/guidance-firms-fair-treatment-vulnerable-customers" target="_blank">https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/guidance-firms-fair-treatment-vulnerable-customers</a>).</p><p> </p><p>This applies to all firms where the FCA Principles for Business apply, regardless of sector and in respect of the supply of products or services to retail customers.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 30/06/2022 13:11:17 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1606492

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2023
	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	Batteries: Waste Disposal
	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 the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing household kerb-side collection of batteries to help (a) protect workers in the waste and recycling sector (b) reduce the number of fires caused by incorrectly disposed of lithium-ion batteries.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	171437
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>Defra has not made any such assessment yet, but plans to consult on potential reforms to the batteries regulations to help address these issues by the end of the year.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 29/03/2023 15:55:48 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1606497

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2023
	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	Batteries: Waste Disposal
	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 her Department is taking to help prevent the incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	171438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>Defra plans to consult on potential reforms to the batteries regulations to help address this issue by the end of the year.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 29/03/2023 15:52:05 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally