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1472131

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	22404
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters, including whether an organisation is under consideration for proscription.</p><p>The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 28/06/2022 13:17:45 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471680

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
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	Sri Lanka: Food Supply
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 recent assessment her Department has made of food security in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21166
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>We are closely monitoring the economic situation in Sri Lanka, particularly as it relates to food insecurity. We will be working to support the UN and its agencies in their coordinated response based on the UN's recent joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) Plan, launched on 9 June. This has called for $47.2 million USD to provide life-saving assistance to 1.7 million people who are most at risk and need immediate support. The HNP Plan includes $13.94 million USD to support food security and $16.8 million USD to support agriculture and livelihoods.</p><p>The UK Government recognises the difficult economic situation and welcomes the start of in-depth discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on reforms needed to bring the economy back to a sustainable path. The World Bank has announced over $400 million USD in assistance to provide economic as well as health sector support, with the UK being a major donor to the UN and World Bank.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 28/06/2022 13:39:59 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471681

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
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	Sri Lanka: Economic Situation
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 recent assessment her Department has made of the human development and social economic indicators of Sri Lanka in comparison to other SE Asian countries.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21167
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>The UK is closely monitoring the political, security, and economic situation in Sri Lanka, including the impact on livelihoods. We continue to encourage a peaceful, democratic, and inclusive approach to resolving the current political and economic challenges. The most recent available data (2020) for Sri Lanka indicates that it performs well against South Asia neighbours on high-level human development and social economic indicators, particularly infant mortality rates. However, the available data does not capture the severity of the current economic crisis and impact of recent economic shocks such as Covid-19, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the floating of the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) and Sri Lanka's debt default in May 2022. We have not made a recent assessment comparing Sri Lankan indicators to those in South East Asian countries.</p><p>We recognise the difficult economic situation and welcome the start of in-depth discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on reforms needed to bring the economy back to a sustainable path. UK economic support is through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and United Nations (UN), as underlined by the Prime Minister when he spoke to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on 30 May.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 28/06/2022 13:41:28 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471682

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
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	Sri Lanka: Politics and Government
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 recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Samurdhi programme in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>The UK recognises the economic challenges that Sri Lanka is facing. We continue to monitor the economic situation in Sri Lanka closely, including the impact economic issues are having on food security and livelihoods. The existing social protection systems, including the Samurdhi programme, provide essential support to the most vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka and will be crucial at this difficult time.</p><p>The Sri Lankan authorities have taken a number of measures to help support the public, including an economic relief package of Rs. 200bn ($1bn) announced in January 2022. This package includes a Rs. 5000 ($25) monthly allowance for public sector employees, pensioners and disabled soldiers. Under the scheme, Rs. 1000 ($5) has been allocated to the beneficiaries of the government's largest welfare programme 'Samurdhi', and a number of taxes and levies have been removed from essential foods and medicines. The Government of Sri Lanka agreed on May 2 to provide a special three-month cash allowance from May to July worth Rs. 13.36 billion to 3.34 million families affected by the current economic crisis, with funding from the World Bank of which the UK is a major donor. We regularly discuss economic policy with the Sri Lankan Government and encourage efforts to improve economic growth and protect vital economic interests such as key industries, commodities, employment and livelihoods.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 28/06/2022 13:46:02 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471683

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
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	Sri Lanka: Economic Situation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the amount of foreign exchange from UK tourism and migrant workers on the economy of Sri Lanka in the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">We are closely monitoring the economic situation in Sri Lanka, including foreign exchange data reported by Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan authorities. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism was a key export sector for Sri Lanka, making up almost 30% of total export revenues. However, Sri Lanka's tourism receipts declined by almost 80% in 2020 and fell by a further 60% in 2021. The UK is a key contributor to Sri Lanka's tourism sector. It has been among the top three source markets in the past three years, placed as the second major country of origin for tourists in Sri Lanka in 2019 and 2020, and third in 2021. Remittances from overseas workers have also been an important contributor to Sri Lanka's economy in the past three years, worth around 8% and 9% of Sri Lanka's total GDP in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Despite initially remaining constant in 2020, remittances fell by over 20% in 2021, down to their lowest levels since 2011.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The UK recognises the difficult economic situation and welcomes the start in-depth discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on reforms needed to bring the economy back to a sustainable path. The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on 30 May, and underlined the UK's continued support for the people of Sri Lanka during their current economic difficulties.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are closely monitoring the economic situation in Sri Lanka, including foreign exchange data reported by Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan authorities. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism was a key export sector for Sri Lanka, making up almost 30% of total export revenues. However, Sri Lanka's tourism receipts declined by almost 80% in 2020 and fell by a further 60% in 2021. The UK is a key contributor to Sri Lanka's tourism sector. Remittances from overseas workers have also been an important contributor to Sri Lanka's economy in the past three years, worth around 8% and 9% of Sri Lanka's total GDP in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Despite initially remaining constant in 2020, remittances fell by over 20% in 2021, down to their lowest levels since 2011.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The UK recognises the difficult economic situation and welcomes the start in-depth discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on reforms needed to bring the economy back to a sustainable path. The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on 30 May, and underlined the UK's continued support for the people of Sri Lanka during their current economic difficulties.</ins></p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 28/06/2022 13:49:21 question first ministerially corrected 29/06/2022 08:37:13 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford previous answer version 9471 answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471684

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
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	Sri Lanka: Development Aid
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 aid programmes have been designated to increase food production in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The UK is closely monitoring the political, economic, and security situation in Sri Lanka, particularly as it relates to food insecurity and livelihoods. We are working to support the UN and its agencies in their coordinated response based on the UN's recent joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) Plan, launched on 9 June. This called for USD 47.2 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.7 million people who are most at risk and need immediate support. This includes USD 13.94 million to support food security and USD 16.8 million to support agriculture and livelihoods.</p><p>The UK contributes to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) Operation in Sri Lanka. The DREF is supporting the Sri Lanka Red Cross with an allocation of approximately CHF 691,002 in response to shortages and civil unrest. The World Bank, of which the UK is a major donor, has announced over USD 400 million of assistance to provide economic and health sector support.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 27/06/2022 14:54:21 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471685

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Transport for London: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce a new funding model for Transport for London.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government’s extraordinary funding settlements recognise the reliance of London’s transport network on fare revenue, and Government is committed to compensating TfL for loss of fare revenue as a result of the pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic, Government has provided TfL with close to £5 billion of emergency funding support, through settlements agreed in May 2020, October 2020, June 2021 and February 2022.</p><p>In addition to these emergency funding settlements, the 2021 Spending Review settlement for London provides over a billion pounds of capital investment per year, in line with previous funding.</p><p>In accordance with the 25 February 2022 extraordinary funding agreement, Government is considering a longer-term settlement for TfL for a period of 1-3 years in a way that is fair to the national taxpayer and provides value for money.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 28/06/2022 09:43:14 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1471686

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Immigration Controls: Airports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with his EU counterparts on reducing passenger waiting times at immigration checkpoints at airports.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	21172
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2022 answer text <p>Some UK and EU airports are facing similar problems this summer in addressing excessive waiting times at both arrival and departure as passenger demand rapidly recovers. My officials have been discussing these matters, including potential disruptions arising from summer traffic peaks at the border, with their EU counterparts to understand the situation more fully and to encourage sharing of experience and best practice amongst the industry.</p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 28/06/2022 09:47:34 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1469688

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
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	Employment: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the employment rate among people within five years of the statutory retirement age.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	16917
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>Now that the Default Retirement Age has been abolished most people can work for as long as they want to and are able.</p><p>The Government recognises the challenges faced by people aged 50 and over. Therefore, we are providing over £20 million over the next three years for a new enhanced offer for workers over the age of 50 to help them to stay in or return to work. This offer will ensure that older job seekers receive more intensive, tailored support as part of their Universal Credit claim and will give Work Coaches more time to spend with older job seekers who have recently become unemployed. The 50PLUS Champions network also provides dedicated support to Work Coaches to enable them to effectively direct suitable support to claimants who are aged 50 and over. The available information is set out below.</p><p>The employment rate of 60-64 year olds is contained in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Employment rate Apr-Jun 2021</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 60-64</p></td><td><p>54.5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2021/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2021" target="_blank">Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over 2021</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits is contained in the table below. The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefit principally for the reason of being unemployed. The available age breakdown is 65 and over, so this will include some people on the claimant count who are over State Pension age.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Claimant Count May 2022</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 65+</p></td><td><p>24,990</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/" target="_blank">NOMIS June 2022</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of 50-64 year olds who are economically inactive in each of the last three years is contained in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Inactivity level</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2020</p></td><td><p>3,308,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2021</p></td><td><p>3,443,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2022</p></td><td><p>3,519,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/redir/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpbmRleCI6OCwicGFnZVNpemUiOjEwLCJwYWdlIjoxLCJ1cmkiOiIvZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGxhYm91cm1hcmtldC9wZW9wbGVpbndvcmsvZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGVtcGxveWVldHlwZXMvZGF0YXNldHMvZW1wbG95bWVudHVuZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGVjb25vbWljaW5hY3Rpdml0eWJ5YWdlZ3JvdXBzZWFzb25hbGx5YWRqdXN0ZWRhMDVzYSIsImxpc3RUeXBlIjoicmVsYXRlZGRhdGEifQ.QEJp_WI_8_5xY2HM1HbCHSIaFY1o70Wuzf51KBB2Y4o" target="_blank">Table A05SA, Labour Market Overview June 2022</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 16918 16920 question first answered 21/06/2022 12:17:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1469689

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
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	Unemployment Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the final year before they reach the statutory retirement age.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	16918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>Now that the Default Retirement Age has been abolished most people can work for as long as they want to and are able.</p><p>The Government recognises the challenges faced by people aged 50 and over. Therefore, we are providing over £20 million over the next three years for a new enhanced offer for workers over the age of 50 to help them to stay in or return to work. This offer will ensure that older job seekers receive more intensive, tailored support as part of their Universal Credit claim and will give Work Coaches more time to spend with older job seekers who have recently become unemployed. The 50PLUS Champions network also provides dedicated support to Work Coaches to enable them to effectively direct suitable support to claimants who are aged 50 and over. The available information is set out below.</p><p>The employment rate of 60-64 year olds is contained in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Employment rate Apr-Jun 2021</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 60-64</p></td><td><p>54.5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2021/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2021" target="_blank">Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over 2021</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits is contained in the table below. The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefit principally for the reason of being unemployed. The available age breakdown is 65 and over, so this will include some people on the claimant count who are over State Pension age.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Claimant Count May 2022</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 65+</p></td><td><p>24,990</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/" target="_blank">NOMIS June 2022</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of 50-64 year olds who are economically inactive in each of the last three years is contained in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Inactivity level</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2020</p></td><td><p>3,308,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2021</p></td><td><p>3,443,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-Apr 2022</p></td><td><p>3,519,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/redir/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpbmRleCI6OCwicGFnZVNpemUiOjEwLCJwYWdlIjoxLCJ1cmkiOiIvZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGxhYm91cm1hcmtldC9wZW9wbGVpbndvcmsvZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGVtcGxveWVldHlwZXMvZGF0YXNldHMvZW1wbG95bWVudHVuZW1wbG95bWVudGFuZGVjb25vbWljaW5hY3Rpdml0eWJ5YWdlZ3JvdXBzZWFzb25hbGx5YWRqdXN0ZWRhMDVzYSIsImxpc3RUeXBlIjoicmVsYXRlZGRhdGEifQ.QEJp_WI_8_5xY2HM1HbCHSIaFY1o70Wuzf51KBB2Y4o" target="_blank">Table A05SA, Labour Market Overview June 2022</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 16917 16920 question first answered 21/06/2022 12:17:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord