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1240259

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Driving Tests: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people waiting for a practical driving test in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	98945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>In March 2020, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suspended most of its services in line with Government guidance, whilst maintaining access for critical workers to support the national emergency response.</p><p> </p><p>The DVSA is restoring its testing services with new procedures in place to keep people safe and help stop the spread of coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>As the DVSA has been unable to provide its normal level of service for the past six months, demand for practical driving tests are higher than usual.</p><p> </p><p>As of 6 October 2020, 344,806 candidates in the UK have a practical car test booked and are waiting to sit the test.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 12/10/2020 14:29:18 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1240262

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Driving Tests: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of average time it takes to obtain a practical driving test in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	98946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>In March 2020, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suspended most of its services in line with Government guidance, whilst maintaining access for critical workers to support the national emergency response.</p><p> </p><p>The DVSA is restoring its testing services with new procedures in place to keep people safe and help stop the spread of coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>As the DVSA has been unable to provide its normal level of service for the past six months, demand for practical driving tests are higher than usual.</p><p> </p><p>Currently, the average waiting time for a practical driving test in the UK is:</p><ul><li>Car – 10 weeks</li><li>Vocational – 7 weeks</li><li>Motorcycle – 7 weeks</li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 12/10/2020 14:34:54 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1240265

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the waiting time is for an applicant to HM Passport Office to receive a passport.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	98947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/10/2020 answer text <p>In the week ending 4 October 2020, the median average processing time for passport applications was six working days.</p><p>Please note the processing time does not include the time taken to deliver the passport to the customer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 09/10/2020 08:55:42 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1240309

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
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	Carbon Emissions: Capital Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to establish a banking agency to finance green investments as part of the Industrial Strategy.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	98953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>Within the decade, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister is determined for the UK to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution as we accelerate our progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. That is why, this year alone, the government has set out billions in support for our low-carbon economy. As set out in the 2019 Green Finance Strategy, this needs to be combined with a focus on mobilising and accelerating flows of private finance into key clean growth sectors to provide good value for taxpayers, such as through providing long-term certainty and using public funds to leverage private capital.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 12/10/2020 11:37:14 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1239204

registered interest
date	30/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Arab States: Israel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the number of Arab League countries that have recently normalised relations with Israel.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	97552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2020 answer text <p>We warmly welcome the normalising of relations, and the strengthening of ties between Israel and its neighbours. We urge others across the region to follow the example of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The changing regional context and converging Arab and Israeli interests present an opening to develop relations and create the conditions for serious Israeli-Palestinian talks to resume. We profoundly hope that this moment can be used as a step towards direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, as there can be no substitute in order to reach a two-state solution and a lasting peace.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 07/10/2020 15:00:48 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1237546

registered interest
date	24/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Investment Income: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of the effect of the number of UK-listed companies which have suspended or cancelled dividend payments on (a) pension contributions and (b) household incomes.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	95066
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish official statistics on household incomes, including the contribution from dividend income. The latest data indicates that dividend income accounted for 4% of household disposable income in the second quarter of 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Covid-19 outbreak poses an unprecedented challenge to the UK. The government has taken substantial action to rescue the economy from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, including through the Plan for Jobs, published in July.</p><p> </p><p>The government has kept people in work, protected their incomes and supported businesses, delivering one of the most generous and comprehensive packages of support globally. This includes support for over 1.2 million businesses, totalling £57 billion from Government-backed loan schemes, and over £39 billion on the furlough scheme, protecting over 9.6 million jobs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 01/10/2020 13:46:15 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1236586

registered interest
date	22/09/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Shipping: Identification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has in place to stop skippers turning off their automatic identification system to prevent location identification.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	93580
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) already has measures in place to ensure that shipmasters, skippers and navigational watchkeepers of fishing vessels and commercial vessels mandated to carry automatic identification system (AIS) keep their systems operational and in proper use at all times.</p><p> </p><p>These measures include the use of fixed wing surveillance aircraft and fixed radar installations at certain locations along the coast.</p><p> </p><p>The MCA recently updated gov.uk weblinks to remind skippers of relevant fishing vessels that they must fit AIS which meet the international performance standards and that it is an offence to switch off AIS unless there are compelling grounds to justify that safety and security of the vessel would be affected.</p><p> </p><p>The MCA will either warn or prosecute and fine those who they discover are failing to properly use the AIS at sea.</p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 29/09/2020 09:11:15 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1235233

registered interest
date	16/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Middle East: Diplomatic Relations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential of the deal signed by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel to normalise relations between those countries and the Middle East peace process.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	91009
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2020 answer text <p>We warmly welcome the agreement between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This is a historic step which sees the normalisation of relations between three great friends of the UK. We welcome both the decision to normalise relations, as well as the suspension of plans for annexation - a move the UK has opposed as it would have been counterproductive to securing peace in the region. We profoundly hope that this moment can be used as a step towards direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, as there can be no substitute in order to reach a two-state solution and a lasting peace.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 25/09/2020 13:16:13 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1235239

registered interest
date	16/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Iran: Capital Punishment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the continued use of the death penalty in that country.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	91010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Iran, especially in cases that do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. This includes the execution of minors and the use of the death penalty for a crime that is not deemed &quot;the most serious&quot;. We have made clear to Iran, both in public and in private, our opposition to the use of the death penalty and will continue to do so.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 23/09/2020 09:38:10 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1235240

registered interest
date	16/09/2020
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	BBC: Pay
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 assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of the BBC's publication of salaries paid to presenters this year.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	91011
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><ul><li><p>The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of Government, and therefore talent pay is a matter for the BBC.</p></li><li><p>However, we expect to see the BBC using its substantial licence fee income in an appropriate way to ensure it delivers value for money for UK audiences.</p></li><li><p>The public deserves to know how their licence fee is being spent, which is why in the Royal Charter the government required the BBC to publish the salary details of all BBC staff and talent paid over £150,000. This was published for the first time as part of the BBC 2016/17 annual report.</p></li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 23/09/2020 15:00:26 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord