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1249240

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
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	Food Supply: Children
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 steps the Department is taking to redistribute surplus food into Government initiatives to tackle child food insecurity.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	112025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2020 answer text <p>In 2018, a £15 million food waste fund was announced to do more to tackle food waste and make sure surplus food goes to those who have a need. Grants have been awarded to food redistribution organisations both large and small, including £1.9 million each for Community Shop, which has resulted in its Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus programme, and FareShare and its Surplus with Purpose initiative.</p><p> </p><p>In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, £5 million has been specifically made available to help redistribute surplus food to those in need including £1.8 million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport fund in support of charities. Nearly 300 grants have been made available to over 230 charities. Grant recipients are now delivering their project activities and putting in place the new infrastructure that the funds have supported across their food redistribution networks.</p><p> </p><p>Building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the pandemic, earlier this month a winter support package was announced, including a further £16 million to fund local charities to purchase food through well-established networks and provide immediate support to people of all ages.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 112026 question first answered 13/11/2020 14:59:58 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1249241

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
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	Food Supply: Children
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 representations he has received on the Community Shop initiative to redistribute surplus food waste to help tackle child food insecurity; and whether he plans to make it his policy to support that initiative.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	112026
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2020 answer text <p>In 2018, a £15 million food waste fund was announced to do more to tackle food waste and make sure surplus food goes to those who have a need. Grants have been awarded to food redistribution organisations both large and small, including £1.9 million each for Community Shop, which has resulted in its Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus programme, and FareShare and its Surplus with Purpose initiative.</p><p> </p><p>In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, £5 million has been specifically made available to help redistribute surplus food to those in need including £1.8 million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport fund in support of charities. Nearly 300 grants have been made available to over 230 charities. Grant recipients are now delivering their project activities and putting in place the new infrastructure that the funds have supported across their food redistribution networks.</p><p> </p><p>Building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the pandemic, earlier this month a winter support package was announced, including a further £16 million to fund local charities to purchase food through well-established networks and provide immediate support to people of all ages.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 112025 question first answered 13/11/2020 14:59:58 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1248384

registered interest
date	03/11/2020
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	Sleeping Rough: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated to support rough sleeping programmes in Harlow in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>In 2020/21, we are providing over £700 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping across England.</p><p>Harlow has so far been allocated £411,718 through rough sleeping programmes in 2020/21:</p><ul><li>£328,435 through the Rough Sleeping Initiative;</li><li>£1,650 from the COVID-19 Emergency Rough Sleeping Fund; and</li><li>£81,633 from the short-term portion of the Next Steps Accommodation Programme.</li></ul><p>Harlow has also been allocated £460,902 in homelessness funding in 2020/21:</p><ul><li>£360,351 from the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant; and</li><li>£100,551 through the Homelessness Reduction Grant.</li></ul> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 10/11/2020 15:33:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1247966

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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	Events Industry: Coronavirus
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 his Department is taking to support the recovery of the events sector from the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector which will benefit the events sector by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations to stay open and continue operating. So far, over £500m has been announced from the Culture Recovery Fund for over 2,000 organisations across England including venues, festivals and theatres.</p><p>The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that businesses will be protected from the threat of eviction until the end of year, providing commercial tenants with greater security and protecting vital jobs. This extension will protect businesses that are struggling to pay their rent due to the impact of COVID-19 from being evicted and help thousands of people working in the events sector to feel more secure about their jobs. The government will also extend the restriction on landlords using Commercial Rents Arrears Recovery to enforce unpaid rent on commercial leases, until the end of the year.</p><p>We recognise that the new national restrictions will have a significant impact on jobs and the economy, as well as on mental health and wellbeing. The Government has confirmed that there will be a full package of financial support in place, with the Job Retention Scheme extended until March. Businesses can continue to apply for government-backed loans, and self-employed individuals can access the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.</p><p>We are continuing to meet with events stakeholders to provide support and guidance for the events sector during this time.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 06/11/2020 16:35:44 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1247244

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Equal Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effect of the gender pay gap on levels of (a) financial domestic abuse and (b) child poverty.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	109300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK’s gender pay gap is now at a record low of 15.5%, but the Government recognises that closing the gender pay gap alone will not eliminate social issues such as financial domestic abuse and child poverty. Targeted support and interventions are essential.</p><p>In December 2015, we introduced the new domestic abuse offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in order to tackle purposeful patterns of behaviour over time to exert power, control, and coercion over another person, which includes financial and economic abuse. We are including economic abuse in the new statutory definition of domestic abuse to acknowledge the impact that economic abuse can have on a victim’s life. This will raise awareness and enable frontline professionals and the criminal justice system to better recognise and tackle it.</p><p>Our ambition is to level up across the country and to continue to tackle child poverty through our reformed welfare system that works with the labour market to encourage people to move into and progress in work wherever possible. The latest data from 2018/19 showed that only 3% of children in households where both parents work full-time were in absolute poverty (before housing costs) compared to 47% where one or more parent was in part-time work.</p><p>Our £30bn Plan for Jobs will support economic recovery through new schemes including Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support. We are also doubling the number of work coaches who, through our Jobcentre network, will provide more people with the tailored support they need to move back into work and towards financial independence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 13/11/2020 17:15:54 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1244780

registered interest
date	20/10/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Education: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on additional financial support in helping to close the disadvantage attainment gap.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	907789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2020 answer text <p>I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State on Education policy. We are committed to ensuring no child, whatever their background, falls behind as a result of this pandemic. Our £1 billion catch-up plan includes £350 million for a National Tutoring Programme targeted at disadvantaged children. We have also provided over £2.4 billion of Pupil Premium funding this year for the most disadvantaged.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 20/10/2020 14:55:10 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1245143

registered interest
date	20/10/2020
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	Iraq: Kurds
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 steps his Department has taken in response to the burning on 17 October 2020 in Baghdad of a Kurdish party office and the flag of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	106317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2020 answer text <p>We strongly condemned the attack on the Kurdistan Democratic Party's office in Baghdad and made clear that addressing political difference through dialogue not violence was a fundamental element of a functioning democracy. The UK has welcomed steps taken to hold those responsible to account. We continue to work with the Government of Iraq on enhancing security measures, including through discussions during the Iraqi Prime Minister's Guest of Government visit to the UK on 22 October.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 23/10/2020 11:16:39 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1244182

registered interest
date	16/10/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Essex
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) beauty, (b) physiotherapy and (c) other businesses that operate from a person's home can continue to remain open and see clients under Tier 2 (High) covid-19 restrictions in Essex.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	104720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>New local alert levels announced on 12 October set out three tiers of restrictions that aim to control the chain of transmission in an area based on specific local circumstances. The Local Alert Level: High restrictions (tier 2) are primarily aimed at targeting household to household transmission by placing restrictions on indoor gatherings, which is recognised as a significant route of transmission.</p><p>Businesses based in a person’s home may remain open at this level, provided they follow COVID-secure guidance and are not subject to other closure rules, e.g. closure of hospitality venues between 10pm and 5am. Close contact services must also follow relevant guidance, including mandatory use of face coverings.</p><p>Further guidance is available at the following links:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-high#business-and-venues" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-high#business-and-venues</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries question first answered 22/10/2020 14:42:49 answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries previous answer version 56050 answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1243637

registered interest
date	15/10/2020
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	Horses: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to reduce the practice of horse tethering.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	907600
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2020 answer text <p>People who tether their horses inappropriately risk causing their animals distress and suffering and could be liable to prosecution for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their Hybrids provides keepers with information on how and when tethering may be used. We remain committed to tackling the issue of inappropriate horse tethering through effective partnership working, enforcement and dissemination of best practice.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 15/10/2020 17:04:34 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1243421

registered interest
date	14/10/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Computers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of children in England without a laptop or tablet.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	103485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2020 answer text <p>The Department has already delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers to disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have had online access, as part of over £160 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care.</p><p>The Department is now supplementing this support by making an additional 250,000 laptops and tablets available in the event that face-to-face schooling is disrupted as a result of local COVID-19 restrictions and children become reliant on remote education. We are also working with the major telecommunications companies to improve internet connectivity for disadvantaged and vulnerable families who rely on a mobile internet connection.</p><p>The laptops and tablets are an injection of support to help local authorities and academy trusts to provide access to remote education and online social care services during the COVID-19 restriction period.</p><p>The Department arrived at an allocated number of devices by estimating how many pupils are without access to a device. The Department did this by combining data on the number of pupils eligible for Free School Meals in each school, with an assumption that some pupils’ needs will be met by the devices provided by the schools. The Department used the BESA ICT 2019 survey data on the average number of laptops and tablets in primary and secondary schools and assumed that these are distributed between teachers and pupils.</p><p>The Department has published data about the delivery of laptops and tablets, which can be viewed here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912888/Devices_and_4G_wireless_routers_progress_data_as_of_27_August_2020.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912888/laptops and tablets_and_4G_wireless_routers_progress_data_as_of_27_August_2020.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 103486 103487 question first answered 20/10/2020 12:49:15 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon