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1190629

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	India: Ventilators
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the CDC Group has provided to the ventilator manufacturer Skanray Techologies; and how that investment is supporting public health systems in India respond to the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	40653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>CDC is an investor in Skanray Technologies Private Limited through the investment fund Ascent India Fund III managed by Ascent Capital Advisors Private Limited. The investment was made by the fund manager in 2013 with the purpose of expanding access to medical equipment in India and across South Asia. CDC continues to work closely with the company which is exploring options to scale-up its production capacity of ventilators in support of the public health response to Covid-19 in India.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 04/05/2020 15:17:32 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1190630

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Credit Facility for Access to Medicines: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the Credit Facility for Access to Medicines is contributing to efforts to tackle covid-19 by making treatments and vaccines affordable.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	40654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. At the G20 last month, the Prime Minister called on all governments to work together to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible and make it globally available.</p><p>MedAccess, initially called the Credit Facility for Access to Medicines, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, which in turn is owned and funded by DFID. MedAccess provides ‘volume guarantees’ to manufacturers to stimulate production and increase the availability and affordability of medical supplies in developing country markets across Africa and Asia. It has a track record of success with viral testing kits to combat HIV and insecticide treated bednets to combat malaria. MedAccess is in discussions with UN agencies and manufacturers to establish whether it can provide financial guarantees to increase production and enable more rapid procurement of much needed medical supplies at affordable prices to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 04/05/2020 14:45:22 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1190271

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Palestinians: Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Palestinians' access to healthcare throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories during the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	39660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We have delivered additional vital support in the OPTs by providing £840,000 to World Health Organisation and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.</p><p>The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated response.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 01/05/2020 14:01:44 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1188492

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
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	Travellers: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the needs of Travellers during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	37723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government is determined to ensure everyone gets the support they need to look after themselves and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak and are enabled to take the necessary measures to reduce the spread of the virus. We are holding regular discussions with representatives from Gypsy and Traveller communities to understand the issues they are facing, and to understand what guidance and support, including for local authorities, who have a responsibility to look after vulnerable groups. On 11 April, the Communities Minister wrote to local authority Chief Executives to highlight the need to mitigate potential impacts amongst Gypsy and Traveller communities, highlighting that some Gypsies and Travellers may need assistance in accessing basic facilities such as water, sanitation and waste disposal, to enable them to adhere to public health guidelines around self-isolation and social distancing.</p><p>On 18 April, the Local Government Secretary announced that councils across England will receive a further £1.6 billion to help them to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus. This takes the total funding to support councils to respond to the pandemic to over £3.2 billion.</p><p>The Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing also wrote to Caravan Site owners and managers on 27 March to confirm that people who live permanently in caravan parks, or are staying in caravan parks while their primary residence is unavailable, may continue to do so.</p><p>Levels of self-employment are high amongst Gypsy and Traveller communities. The Government recently announced a scheme for those who are self-employed to claim a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of their trading profits up to a maximum of £2500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 28/04/2020 15:19:17 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1188823

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Newspaper Press: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local newspapers were selected to publish the Government's messages on covid-19 in April 2020.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	37724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.</p><p>As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 37725 question first answered 27/04/2020 10:00:33 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1188824

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Newspaper Press: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria were used to select the (a) national and (b) regional or local newspapers that carried Government's coronavirus crisis advertising wraparound in April 2020.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	37725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.</p><p>As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 37724 question first answered 27/04/2020 10:00:33 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1185731

registered interest
date	17/03/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Gaza: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on the healthcare system in Gaza of the response to the spread of covid-19 in that region.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	30804
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2020 answer text <p>There are currently <del class="ministerial">no</del> <ins class="ministerial">two </ins>known cases of COVID-19 in Gaza. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has delivered essential equipment such as lab testing kits and personal protective equipment and has used DFID-funded Trauma Stabilisation Tents to quarantine suspected COVID-19 patients at the Rafah border crossing. UN agencies are supporting further measures such as the establishment of a field hospital and the creation of a medical checkpoint at the Erez border crossing.</p><p>A widespread outbreak of the virus could overwhelm Gaza’s already overburdened health system - especially given the lack of reliable access to clean water and energy in the strip. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure agencies are ready to respond to an outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 25/03/2020 16:25:19 question first ministerially corrected 26/03/2020 17:26:12 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly previous answer version 14688 answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1185732

registered interest
date	17/03/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help strengthen the capacity of primary health care systems in low-income countries to respond to the spread of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	30805
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department for International Development (DFID) recognises strong and resilient national health systems are vital to global health security and helping to protect the world from infectious diseases, including COVID-19.</p><p>Through our multilateral partnerships, and our regional and national programmes, we support low-income countries to make their health systems, including primary healthcare, stronger and more resilient, and able to prevent, detect and respond to health threats, such as COVID-19.</p><p>UK aid has a longstanding record of global support to countries to prepare for large disease outbreaks. DFID provides continued and additional support to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies, using their leadership role, through providing technical assistance, setting norms and standards and tracking progress to help countries address key Health System Strengthening bottlenecks.</p><p>The Department of Health and Social Care’s £21 million International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project builds capacity in six countries across Africa and Asia to enable them to observe the IHRs and better enable them to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats.</p><p>In addition to the UK’s significant annual funding to the WHO of around £120 million, the UK has committed an additional £10 million to the WHO’s Emergency Flash Appeal through to April and additional funding for other international partners who are helping developing countries develop and deliver their own response to the virus. We are pressing WHO and the UN to develop a follow-up consolidated appeal to address the COVID-19 health and priority secondary impacts developing countries.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 25/03/2020 16:37:25 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1185172

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Blood: Contamination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	30214
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government believes that we should wait until the Inquiry reports before considering compensation. The Inquiry cannot make a finding of legal liability, but it could make a recommendation that the Government fundamentally increases what it pays to the infected and affected, and that it does so on a different basis. Government will act on the Inquiry's recommendations with the utmost urgency, when it reports.</p><p>In the meantime, we are working with our partners in the devolved nations, including Northern Ireland, and other relevant Government departments to improve the parity of financial support for those infected by the infected blood scandal, across the United Kingdom.</p><p>The Department of Health NI was allocated £1.03 million in January 2020 monitoring, ringfenced for the specific purpose of providing financial support to the infected and affected.</p><p>Of this £610,780 was committed in the interim payments announced on 27 January and has been paid out. Therefore £419,220 remains, which the NI Health Minister committed to allocating before the end of this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 19/03/2020 17:36:49 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1185228

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Data Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the data breach of the Learning Records Service database by the GB Group, what steps he is taking to review the criteria used by his Department to allow external organisations access to sensitive data.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	29991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2020 answer text <p>The registration process for access to the Learning Records Service (LRS) has been tightened up significantly:</p><p>Extra checks have been put in place by the UK register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) before an organisation can apply to become a registered training provider (a pre-requisite to registering to use the LRS). They must:</p><ul><li>provide their Companies House number and be a listed as a registered &amp; active company on the CH website, their ICO registration number and an active UKPRN number.</li><li>provide details of the Awarding Organisation (AO) that they are accredited with (which will be confirmed independently by ESFA), the approximate volumes of learners that they expect to register per annum and a detailed description of why they need access. If the the purpose for any reason but to enrol their own students this will only be granted by exception after a follow up discussion.</li><li>submit an LRS agreement that is signed by one of the company directors listed on the Companies House website.</li></ul><p>The LRS registration form has been updated to include all of the above information, and any organisations who have had their access revoked as part of the recent incident will need to resign the updated agreement/registration form. The registration form also includes a section cleared by commercial lawyers that:</p><ul><li>states DFE's right of recourse against licensees to LRS and that we will restrict the rights of licensees with regard to the sublicensing of access to LRS.</li><li>includes text acknowledging/outlining other sanctions.</li></ul><p>Any organisation that requests a change of details (for example when a school becomes an Academy, or when an ITP changes its registered name), must meet the same criteria as the initial registration process.</p><p>The housekeeping tasks to de-register organisations from LRS are being automated.</p><p>Nightly checks are being run routinely now to identify any cases of excessive usage of the LRS, with automatic suspension for those identified. The housekeeping tasks to de-register organisations from LRS will be enhanced going forwards using a weekly data feed from UKRLP.</p><p>We have put in place the following additional checks when new entrants to the market apply to join the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP):</p><ul><li>Each applicant must register with the ICO and include their ICO number in their UKRLP application.</li><li>UKRLP will check each applicant’s website(s) and review their line of business (including the description of their business on Companies House).</li><li>Each new applicant must give a reason for registering with the UKRLP.</li></ul><p>IDP-Connect will continuously review the current acceptance / rejection process and monitor frequent requests. Those currently registered with the UKRLP will be reviewed against these new criteria.</p><p>IDP-Connect and ESFA are now meeting every 2 weeks to review the changes proposed to the UKRLP process and to evaluate progress with respect to the agreed changes.</p><p>All bulk shares of personal data from the department must be independently assessed and reviewed by the department’s Data Sharing Approvals Panel (DSAP). Most requests for data that are granted will be through the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service and will use National Pupil Database (NPD) de-identified individual level ‘standard extracts’ for each academic year.The ONS Secure Research Service (SRS) allows researchers they have accredited under the Digital Economy Act or approved through the ONS Approved Researcher scheme to access secure de-identified data in line with the industry standard “5 Safes. The Five Safes are Safe People, Safe Projects, Safe Settings, Safe Outputs and Safe Data.</p><p>Access to the service is through 1 of the 5 research labs run by the ONS or if the researcher’s location meets ONS security standards and have access to the ONS they may access the data remotely through their own machines.</p><p>DSAP review each request and only approve the request is within the department’s risk appetite and supports the aims of the department.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan question first answered 01/04/2020 16:55:36 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson