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1126474

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Buildings: Insulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 249214 on Buildings: Insulation, what evidence he has received that all residents have been informed of the inclusion of their residences in his Department's Building Safety Programme monthly data release.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	254136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Building owners are responsible for ensuring residents are informed of fire safety issues in their buildings. We are engaging with building owners, managing agents, local authorities and others to ensure that remediation happens as quickly as possible, and that interim safety measures are in place in all buildings until the cladding is replaced.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 22/05/2019 12:54:52 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1126490

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Grenfell Tower Inquiry
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timeframe is for a report on phase one of the Grenfell Tower inquiry led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick will be published.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	254138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The timing and handling of the Inquiry is a matter for the independent Inquiry and the Government hopes that the report for phase 1 will be published soon.</p><p>The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has already begun Phase 2 with the ongoing disclosure of thousands of documents to core participants. Phase 2 of the Inquiry will address the design and modification of the building; the fire and safety measures within it; the management, governance and inspection of the tower; and the steps taken in the days immediately following the fire to support those whose homes had been destroyed. The Inquiry expects the Phase 2 hearings to begin in early 2020.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 17/06/2019 11:47:31 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1126503

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
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	Internet: Offensive Weapons
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 is he taking to ensure that social media companies tackle the advertising of online sales of knives and other weapons used in violent crime.
tabling member constituency	Stevenage
tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
uin	254190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Tackling serious violence is a top priority for the government through measures set out in the Serious Violence Strategy and further initiatives to tackle knife crime and serious violence more generally, including the Offensive Weapons Act which received Royal Assent on 16 May.</p><p> </p><p>The Online Harms White Paper, published in April, sets out plans for a regulatory framework to further ensure companies take action to address online harmful behaviour, including the sale of weapons and other illegal goods and services. A new statutory duty of care will require companies to take more responsibility for harm caused by content or activity on their services. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. The regulator will issue codes of practice on what companies need to do to fulfil their duty of care, working with law enforcement for codes of practice on illegal harms to ensure they adequately keep pace with the threat.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 22/05/2019 15:52:08 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1126512

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
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	Veterinary Medicine: Migrant Workers
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 estimate he has made of the number of additional accredited vets that will be required in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Ashford
tabling member printed	Damian Green
uin	254054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, all animals, products of animal origin (POAO), fish, shellfish, crustaceans, germplasm or fishery products exported from the UK to the EU will require an export health certificate (EHC). EHCs have to be certified by either a suitably accredited Official Veterinarian (OV) or, in the case of fish and fish products, either an OV or an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) employed by a local authority.</p><p> </p><p>Defra does not employ OVs or EHOs so we have engaged with the private sector and local government to identify means of increasing the number of authorised signatories available. From February we have provided free training for vets to become accredited to sign EHCs. Over 300 vets have completed the training, an increase of just under 50% in the total number of suitably qualified OVs.</p><p> </p><p>To support OVs we also created a new role of Certification Support Officer (CSO). A CSO can handle preparatory and administrative aspects of EHCs (checking documents, identifying products or sealing containers). This will free up OV time and capacity to provide the final assurance required. The number of qualified CSOs stands at 84.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 22/05/2019 16:28:47 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	76 label Biography information for Damian Green

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

1126536

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Buildings: Insulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 249313 on Buildings: Insulation, when the BS 8414 test of a High Pressure Laminate cladding system will be carried out by the Fire Protection Association.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	254199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department is working with the contractor to ensure that the test is carried out as soon as reasonably practicable. The exact timing will depend on factors such as the time needed to source the necessary components for the test and the time needed to build the test rig.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 22/05/2019 12:56:12 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1126537

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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what response her Department makes when notified by a local authority of an error in a resident’s universal credit calculation.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	254086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as landlord:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.</p><p> </p><p>If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.</p><p> </p><p>This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:</strong></p><p> </p><p>Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 254088 question first answered 03/06/2019 13:09:40 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 119078 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1126539

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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to local authorities to help (a) identify and (b) remedy errors in universal credit calculations.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	254088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as landlord:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.</p><p> </p><p>If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.</p><p> </p><p>This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:</strong></p><p> </p><p>Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 254086 question first answered 03/06/2019 13:09:40 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 119077 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

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

1126558

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, 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	254067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The total number of staff<strong><em><sup>1</sup></em></strong> working days lost due to sickness<sup>2</sup>, and more specifically stress, between April 2018 and March 2019 is as follows</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Total Number of staff</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Working Days Lost</strong><strong><sup>3</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total Staff (FTE) - average over 12 months</strong></p></td><td><p>69,783</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All Sickness (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>38,989</p></td><td><p>600,051</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Of which Stress (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>2,764</p></td><td><p>83,918</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of total staff</strong></p></td><td><p>4%</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of all sickness</strong></p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em>Notes</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>1 </sup></em></strong><em>This analysis covers MoJ and the Executive Agencies (including HMPPS and HMCTS).</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>2 </sup></em></strong><em>Absences are categorised according to International Classification of Diseases, which is an approach used across the civil service.</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>3</sup></em></strong><em>The cost to the Department is reflected in the total number of working days lost.</em></p><p> </p><p>The MoJ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all its employees, and to reducing sickness absence levels including those which are stress-related. Staff can seek advice and support from our comprehensive occupational health service and employee assistance programme which offers 24/7 help.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 22/05/2019 16:38:48 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake