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1605411

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Gender Based Violence: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Justice on steps to (a) reduce violence against women and girls and (b) encourage women and girls to report incidences of violence.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently visited Women’s Aid Federation NI and the Foyle Family Justice Centre in Derry-Londonderry in support of their crucial work.</p><p> </p><p>It is disappointing that Northern Ireland remains the only region of the UK without a dedicated strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. The UK Government supports ongoing work by Northern Ireland departments to develop strategies tackling violence against women and girls, and domestic and sexual abuse. It is vital that the Northern Ireland Executive is restored to implement these strategies.</p> answering member constituency Wycombe answering member printed Mr Steve Baker question first answered 27/03/2023 10:34:27 answering member 4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605412

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
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	Women: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department are taking to reduce incidences of workplace misogyny.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2023 answer text <p>Everyone should be able to live without fear of harassment or violence, in the workplace as much as anywhere else. Strong laws against workplace harassment are set out in the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>We listened carefully to the experiences shared through our consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace, and committed to a new package of measures which will prioritise prevention. As part of this work, the Government is supporting the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill introduced by the Hon. Member for Bath, which will strengthen protections for employees against workplace harassment.</p><p>This builds on the steps we are taking to foster workplaces that celebrate diverse experiences and backgrounds. The Government’s Inclusion at Work Panel will tackle bias and ensure fairness in the workplace by developing and disseminating effective resources to help employers. This will help to create workplaces where everyone feels supported and encouraged to reach their career potential.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 24/03/2023 09:45:38 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605413

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
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 are taking to encourage male victims to report incidences of domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of sex.</p><p>The commitments set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan apply to all victims of these crimes, including male victims. These documents aim to transform the whole of society's response to these crimes with actions to prevent abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims.</p><p>We do understand that there are specific challenges that male victims of domestic abuse face. We published the refreshed Supporting Male Victims policy document in 2022, which strengthens the government's response to male victims and includes information on the myths and stereotypes that can act as a barrier to reporting for male victims.</p><p>Whilst the Government fully acknowledges the range of barriers many male victims face, we encourage all victims to report incidents to the police, so perpetrators can be brought to justice. We also recognise that it is important for all victims to have confidence in policing. To support policing, we are:</p><p>· Providing up to £3.3 million to fund the rollout of Domestic Abuse Matters training to police forces which have yet to deliver it, or do not have their own specific domestic abuse training.</p><p>· Published updated guidance on the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), which enables the police to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner's or ex partner's previous abusive or violent offending.</p><p>In the Domestic Abuse Plan, we committed to a Home Office review into closed VAWG cases that have outcome 15 of 16 (evidential difficulties prevent further actions or victim does not support police action or withdraws support) to identify opportunities for improvements in the way these are used.</p> answering member constituency Derbyshire Dales answering member printed Miss Sarah Dines question first answered 28/03/2023 14:51:10 answering member 4816 label Biography information for Miss Sarah Dines
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605414

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Charities: Cost of Living
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support for charities, in the context of the cost of living crisis.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2023 answer text <p>As announced in the recent Spring Budget, the Government will provide over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England. This will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk, due to increased demand from vulnerable groups and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency.</p><p>Charities will also continue to receive support for their energy bills until March 2024 under the government’s current Energy Bill Relief Scheme and the future Energy Bills Discount Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 27/03/2023 11:09:14 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605415

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television: Production
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department are taking steps to encourage British television productions to film in Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>With world-class facilities and access to a highly-skilled talent pool, Northern Ireland enjoys global recognition as an important production centre for film and television.</p><p>Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. Funded by the Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland Screen’s production credits include the Academy Award nominated film Belfast.</p><p>The British Film Institute NETWORK works to support, develop and champion new and emerging filmmakers across the UK. The BFI will continue to delegate funding to Northern Ireland Screen to lead BFI NETWORK in Northern Ireland, with an award of £480,000 across the three years.</p><p>To support independent screen content following the pandemic, including film, to grow internationally the government launched the UK Global Screen Fund in April 2021. DCMS has committed a further £21 million to develop, distribute and promote independent UK screen content in international markets. All three strands of the UK Global Screen Fund offer support for Northern Irish companies and projects and several significant awards to Northern Ireland-based companies have been made to date.</p><p>DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £4.8 million over three years to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK nations. Through this, the BFC has provided ongoing support for Northern Ireland’s expanding studio infrastructure initiative, including design support and general guidance to four key studios: Belfast Harbour, Titanic, Loop and Silverwood.</p><p>The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have also all commissioned critically acclaimed television programmes set and produced in Northern Ireland. This includes Bloodlands, The Secret and Derry Girls.</p><p>At Spring Budget 2023, the government went further to support and boost the competitiveness of the TV industry across the UK, through the creative industry tax reliefs. The government announced that the film, high end TV, children’s TV and animation tax reliefs will be reformed to a single Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which will provide a greater benefit than the current reliefs.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 28/03/2023 16:37:04 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605416

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Eurovision Song Contest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that the televised coverage of the Eurovision song contest to be held in Liverpool reflects the success of the Ukrainian entry in the previous year's contest.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2023 answer text <p>It is deeply regrettable that Russia’s illegal invasion has prevented Ukraine hosting the contest in 2023 after its superb victory in last year’s event.</p><p>The BBC, Liverpool and the Government are fully committed to ensuring the best of Ukrainian culture is showcased in this year's contest and that their win and our friendship with Ukraine will be celebrated appropriately.</p><p>All editorial decisions on the content of the show are for the BBC to make, and we recognise that the BBC is working alongside the Ukrainian national broadcaster to ensure close creative alignment.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 27/03/2023 11:10:11 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605417

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government will provide funding to churches and community groups in Northern Ireland to help them celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III; and whether any royal visits are planned to Northern Ireland during the Coronation celebrations.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>Northern Ireland Office officials are working closely with officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in order to provide funding to Local Authorities for local screenings of the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III at locations across Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>There is no additional central Government funding available specifically for other organisations since every effort is being made to ensure that any activities and programmes for the Coronation do not impose an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer. It should be noted Lottery distributors and Local Authorities have made funds available for community events and many communities will fund their own activities, as they have done to mark other significant milestones in our shared history.</p><p> </p><p>Visits to Northern Ireland by members of the Royal Family are a matter for the Royal Household.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Daventry answering member printed Chris Heaton-Harris question first answered 28/03/2023 10:10:22 answering member 3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605418

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with her Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people in all regions wishing to enter new careers have access to adequate training; and if she will make it her policy to ensure such training is provided free of charge.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliamentary session. The department’s skills reforms provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to attain good jobs and progress in their careers.</p><p>Apprenticeships offer individuals throughout England the opportunity to gain valuable skills, retrain, or reskill for careers in a variety of industries. Apprentices earn a wage while they learn and are not responsible for their apprenticeship training costs.</p><p>In the Spring Budget announced on 15 March 2023, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new initiative called Returnerships. This programme is designed to combine the three different pathways of Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps and Sector-Based Work Academies Programmes, in order to make it easier for people to return to work. Returnerships will raise awareness of these pathways, providing a clear route back into work and encouraging employers to hire older workers.</p><p>The department is also investing in re-skilling and up-skilling opportunities, to make sure that adults of any age, can upskill to reach their potential, transforming lives and delivering on the National Skills Fund commitment. As part of this investment, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which gives eligible adults in England without an existing full Level 3 qualification or who are unemployed or meet the low wage criteria, the chance to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications for free.</p><p>This offer has seen over 35,000 enrolments reported between April 2021 and October 2022. This means that enrolments are 82% higher for adults without a full Level 3 qualification, compared to uptake of the same qualifications in 2018/19.</p><p>Skills Bootcamps were introduced at the end of 2020 to deliver short, free, flexible training courses, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion.</p><p>Skills Bootcamps are still a relatively new training offer, but they are already delivering positive outcomes for adult learners and employers and are available right across the country. Following the recent Budget announcement, the department aims to make 64,000 training places a year available by the 2024/25 financial year to ensure that even more learners across all areas of the country can access Skills Bootcamps.</p><p>We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which was £1.34 billion in the 2022/23 academic year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.</p><p>Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). Devolution of the AEB gives MCAs and the GLA direct control over adult education provision for their residents and provides local areas the opportunity to meet local needs.</p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas where colleges, local authorities and other providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB funding, to best meet the needs of their communities.</p><p>The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England and offers intensive support for low skilled adults without a qualification at level 3, as one of our six priority groups for the Service.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 28/03/2023 15:22:09 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605419

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
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	Training: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps with his Cabinet colleagues to provide free courses to workers over 50 who feel they would benefit from training to (a) build their confidence and (b) ensure their skills are suited to the modern workplace.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government already offer a wide range of skills focused programmes such as Sector-based Work Academies, Skills Bootcamps and Apprenticeships. As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Free Courses for Jobs supports people of all ages find work or a new career.</p><p> </p><p>At budget, the Chancellor announced returnerships, which is a new offer targeted at the over 50s, which will bring together the government’s existing skills programmes, focusing on flexibility and previous experience to reduce training length.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches and other Jobcentre Plus staff are equipped with knowledge about local labour markets and training opportunities, to support older people looking to move back into employment, and support such as Midlife MoT’s and mentoring circles aim to build older customers confidence in their skills and ability to seek work.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 28/03/2023 11:49:48 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1605420

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept id	215
answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
hansard heading	Energy: Pensioners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to provide further support with energy costs to pensioners who are in receipt of pension credits and who may be unable to afford fuel bills.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	169296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>More than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive an additional £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24 on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment.</p><p> </p><p>The Autumn Statement set out a commitment to work with consumer groups and industry to develop a new approach to consumer protection in the energy markets. Officials are proactively reaching out to and discussing the approach with stakeholders. The Government will set out its position when this assessment is complete, in time to deliver a new approach from April 2024.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 28/03/2023 13:06:41 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon