Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1276247

registered interest
date	13/01/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Juries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of elderly and vulnerable members of the public who are summoned for jury service during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	137161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>HM Courts and Tribunals Service has well entrenched safeguards to ensure safety of all people in its buildings. This includes vulnerable people selected for jury service who are at particular risk if leaving their homes. From 23 March 2020, when Covid-related restrictions were first commenced, the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB) has been dealing sympathetically with requests to be excused from serving or deferring service to another date. Each application is considered on its own merit and where possible, the JCSB will look to deferral in the first instance, to enable the individual to undertake their civic responsibilities at a different time.</p><p>In addition, HMCTS staff are contacting every juror in the week before they attend court to provide them with the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances.</p><p>When jurors (and any others) do come to court, HMCTS has in place a range of safety measures and controls, to ensure that they remain safe whilst in our buildings. These measures have been developed in line with and are validated against, relevant public health standards to ensure court and tribunal buildings are Covid secure. The measures have all been reviewed in light of continually developing circumstances. This has enabled HMCTS to deliver its vital public services, including jury trials, throughout the period affected by pandemic-related restrictions.</p><p>The framework of measures developed and implemented generally to ensure Covid-related risks are appropriately managed and controlled is set out in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936543/HMCTS451_Organisational_Risk_Assessment_A4L_v3.pdf" target="_blank">HMCTS Organisational Risk Assessment</a>. Among the measures embedded across the court and tribunal estate are significantly enhanced cleaning regimes, the provision of washing facilities and sanitiser throughout buildings for users as well as staff and judiciary, social distancing measures implemented, and a requirement for face coverings in all public and communal areas. Juror-specific controls introduced have included the provision of screens in courtrooms and deliberation suites where local, site-specific risk assessments demonstrate the requirement to ensure and enhance their safety.</p><p>HMCTS has published, and regularly updates, a full suite of information on its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation" target="_blank">Covid-secure practices</a>. Weekly updates are now sent direct to a range of key stakeholders, social media tools are routinely used to try to reach ever-wider audiences, and in all court and tribunal venues, clear signage is displayed to promote and explain our safety measures.</p><p>We have invested considerable effort to assure ourselves as to compliance on the ground. We also have responsive complaints and escalation procedures in case they are necessary. We ask all users of the courts and tribunals – including but not limited to jurors – to take personal responsibility, for adhering to the simple and well-understood hands/face/space protocols prevalent across society generally. Tailored information and guidance on Covid safety is provided to jurors in this regard.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 18/01/2021 17:07:06 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1276275

registered interest
date	13/01/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government’s tax-free childcare scheme.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	137162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>Tax-Free Childcare provides working parents with 20% support on childcare costs up to £10,000. Eligible working families with children under 12 (or under 17 if disabled) will receive up to £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 per child per year for disabled children) towards their childcare bills.</p><p> </p><p>While there was been a decrease in the use of TFC at the start of the pandemic, usage rapidly climbed back to pre-Covid levels. 227,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 263,000 children in September 2020 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-september-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-september-2020</a>), this compares with 172,000 families using childcare for 205,000 children in September 2019 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-september-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-september-2019</a>). The government spent £26.5m on top-up for families in September 2020, compared to £19.0m in September 2019.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Tax-Free Childcare is fairer than its predecessor, Employer Supported Childcare (including Childcare Vouchers). Tax-Free Childcare broadens access to childcare support for more working families, including parents whose employer doesn’t offer vouchers and the self-employed who can’t use vouchers. TFC also provides support per child rather than per parent, meaning lone parent households get the same support as those with more than one parent.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 18/01/2021 12:10:23 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1276277

registered interest
date	13/01/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the options available to a customer whose funds have gone missing after deposit into their tax-free childcare account.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	137164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is delivered from GOV.UK alongside other government digital services through the secure Government Gateway. Parents apply for TFC through the online Childcare Service, which HM Revenue &amp; Customs deliver in partnership with National Savings &amp; Investment.</p><p><br>If parents suspect their account is being misused they should contact the Childcare Service helpline to report their concerns. The Childcare Service will<br>investigate the matter immediately.</p><p /> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 20/01/2021 14:52:36 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1276279

registered interest
date	13/01/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many reports he has received of deposited funds not appearing in tax-free childcare accounts; whether those incidents have been resolved; and what steps he is taking to prevent such incidents.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	137165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2021 answer text <p>Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is delivered from GOV.UK alongside other government digital services through the secure Government Gateway. Parents apply for TFC through the online Childcare Service, which HM Revenue &amp; Customs deliver in partnership with National Savings &amp; Investment (NS&amp;I).</p><p>There have been two incidents of deposited funds not appearing in TFC accounts since the scheme started in April 2017. In August 2019 3,074 TFC customers were affected by a system error, of which all funds were remediated to the correct account. Since this incident, NS&amp;I introduced a number of additional controls; including automated system scripts which alert them to any missed or unprocessed files. When alerted NS&amp;I evoke their industry standard Incident (ITIL) process and conform to a Service Level Agreement set with HMRC, which has a range of response and resolution times depending on the scale of the incident (such as the number of customers impacted).</p><p>More recently in December 2020 198 customers were affected by a different processing issue, which is currently being remediated.</p><p>If parents suspect their account is being misused they should contact the Childcare Service helpline to report their concerns. The Childcare Service will investigate the matter immediately.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 20/01/2021 14:58:19 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1275144

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support being provided to nurseries during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	135871
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>On 17 December 2020, the government announced a return to funding early years settings on the basis of attendance.</p><p>We stay in regular contact with the early years sector and have heard from them already on this subject. We will be closely monitoring both parental take-up of places and the capacity and responses of providers and will keep under constant review whether further action is needed.</p><p>Furthermore, we have provided additional support to the early years sector during the COVID-19 outbreak, making grants and loans available and ensuring early years providers can access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for their non-government funded income, and childminders the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). We continue to ensure that providers can access the support available.</p><p>On 17 December, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that both the CJRS and SEISS will be extended to April 2021. We also updated the CJRS guidance for Early Years so that all providers who have seen a drop in their overall income are able to furlough any staff (who were on payroll on or before 30 October 2020) and who are not required for delivering the government’s funded entitlements. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care</a>.</p><p>Where Early Years providers are struggling financially, they may be eligible to access support from the Additional Restrictions Grant, if not eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant schemes. Further information on these grants is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-additional-restrictions-grant" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-additional-restrictions-grant</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-local-restrictions-support-grant-for-open-businesses" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-local-restrictions-support-grant-for-open-businesses</a>. We will keep under constant review what further support businesses may require.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 14/01/2021 16:42:36 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1275145

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on covid-19 testing and vaccinations for nursery staff.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	135872
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>Rapid, regular testing for people without symptoms of COVID-19 will be made available across the country from this week, with the eligibility of the community testing programme expanded to cover all 317 local authorities. Local authorities will be encouraged to target testing at critical workers such as early years staff during the national lockdown.</p><p>We are rolling out our asymptomatic testing programme to primary schools, who will receive testing kits for staff from week commencing 18 January 2020. This includes schools-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools. The asymptomatic testing programme will offer all primary school, schools-based nursery and maintained nursery school staff home Lateral Flow Device test kits for routine testing.</p><p>The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine(s) the UK should use and provide advice on who should be offered them.</p><p>JCVI advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.</p><p>Regarding the next phase of vaccine rollout, JCVI have asked that the Department of Health and Social Care consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other government departments. The Department for Education will input into this cross-governmental exercise.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 14/01/2021 16:43:11 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1275146

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Remote Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that university students receive the same quality of education whilst learning from home.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	135873
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>The government’s clear and stated expectation is that universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and seek to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have the resources to study remotely. This is more important than ever now, with the vast majority of students studying solely online. The Office for Students (OfS), as regulator for higher education (HE) providers in England, has made it clear that HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and academic standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected, regardless of whether a provider is delivering its courses through face-to-face teaching, remote online learning, or a combination of both.</p><p>The OfS has published information on quality and standards for providers providing practical guidance on how best to ensure students continue to receive a high quality academic experience in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. This sets out that providers should make all reasonable efforts to provide alternative teaching and support for students that is at least broadly equivalent to the provider’s usual arrangements. The OfS will keep this guidance under review to ensure it remains relevant to the developing circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>The OfS is taking very seriously the potential impacts of the outbreak on teaching and learning and is regularly engaging with all registered providers. It is actively monitoring providers to ensure that they maintain the quality of their provision, that it is accessible for all, and that they have been clear in their communications with students about how arrangements for teaching and learning may change throughout the year. The OfS is also following up directly with providers where they receive notifications from students, parents or others raising concerns about the quality of teaching on offer and requiring providers to report to them when they are not able to deliver a course or award a qualification. If the OfS has concerns, it will investigate further.</p><p>The OfS is also monitoring the position across the sector for instance through polling of students' views. Where appropriate, and in response to issues raised through that monitoring, it will issue further advice to the sector.</p><p>Students have rights under consumer law that they may be able to rely on if they are dissatisfied with their provider’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In the first instance, students should speak to their provider to see if they can resolve their issue. We expect student complaints and appeals processes to be operated flexibly, accessibly, and sympathetically by providers to resolve any concerns. If a student at a provider in England or Wales is not satisfied with their provider’s final response, they should go to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which has published guidance on this issue. ​</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 14/01/2021 16:50:18 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1275147

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of guidance provided to schools on the attendance of children of keyworkers.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	135874
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>During the period of national lockdown, schools should allow only vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers to attend. All other pupils should not attend and should learn remotely until February half term.</p><p>On 7 January, the Department published guidance that sets out what all schools will need to do during the national lockdown: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf</a>. Guidance is also available on the children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision</a>.</p><p>Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required. Schools should speak to parents and carers to identify who needs to go to school. If parents and carers who are critical workers can work from home and look after their children at the same time then they should do so.</p><p>Every school will have a different number of children of critical workers who need to attend. It is important that on site provision is provided for these pupils, and there is no limit to numbers of these pupils who may attend, and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.</p><p>The Department will continue to review the restrictions on schools and will ensure that children and young people return to face to face education as soon as possible.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 135796 135875 question first answered 14/01/2021 18:26:34 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1275148

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that clear guidance is available to schools experiencing high demand for places for key worker children during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	135875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>During the period of national lockdown, schools should allow only vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers to attend. All other pupils should not attend and should learn remotely until February half term.</p><p>On 7 January, the Department published guidance that sets out what all schools will need to do during the national lockdown: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf</a>. Guidance is also available on the children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision</a>.</p><p>Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required. Schools should speak to parents and carers to identify who needs to go to school. If parents and carers who are critical workers can work from home and look after their children at the same time then they should do so.</p><p>Every school will have a different number of children of critical workers who need to attend. It is important that on site provision is provided for these pupils, and there is no limit to numbers of these pupils who may attend, and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.</p><p>The Department will continue to review the restrictions on schools and will ensure that children and young people return to face to face education as soon as possible.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 135796 135874 question first answered 14/01/2021 18:26:34 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1273078

registered interest
date	30/12/2020
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	Dredging: West Lancashire
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 assessment he has made of the effectiveness and adequacy of the Environment Agency's £175,000 spend on desilting works in West Lancashire over the last three years as part of its recurring maintenance programme.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	132822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>Desilting is one of a range of activities carried out by the Environment Agency (EA) in West Lancashire to protect people and property from flooding, alongside the control of aquatic vegetation, removal of blockages and the operation of key flood defence assets, including tidal outfalls and pumping stations. The works carried out by the EA are targeted where they will provide the greatest benefit to people and property.</p><p> </p><p>A recurring programme of silt surveys is in place to help the EA focus on areas where the need is greatest. The EA has secured over £70,000 for desilting in West Lancashire in 2021/22, including a desilt of the Three Pools watercourse which has multiple benefits across local residential and agricultural areas.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 11/01/2021 17:04:42 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper