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1126853

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
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	Weedkillers: Cancer
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 assessment his Department has made of whether the weedkiller RoundUp is a potential cause of cancer.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254714
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>Like all pesticides, Roundup (a range of weedkillers containing glyphosate) is subject to strict regulation to ensure that its use will not harm people or have unacceptable effects on the environment.</p><p> </p><p>The European Commission decided in December 2017 to approve glyphosate for continuing use until December 2022. The decision followed a scientific risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority, which included a very close scrutiny of the evidence on whether glyphosate causes cancer. UK experts participated in that assessment and supported its conclusions.</p><p> </p><p>All pesticide products, including Roundup, are tightly regulated by the Health and Safety Executive. They are only authorised for use if scientific data demonstrates that they will not harm people or have unacceptable effects on the environment.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to keep an active watch on the scientific evidence on glyphosate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 20/05/2019 16:17:51 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1127097

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has estimated the cost to the public purse of paying survivor pensions to all police widows and widowers regardless of remarriage or cohabitation; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	255252
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>We have estimated with the Government’s Actuary’s Department, by using historical actuarial data, that the total cost of retaining benefits for all police survivors would increase the police scheme liabilities by around £144m. It is also estimated that retaining benefits for all police survivors, including reinstatement of pensions already surrendered, would increase the police scheme liabilities to around £198m.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 22/05/2019 13:06:36 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126849

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrants: Detainees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is his Department’s policy not to release the location of the immigration removal centre where a person has been detained to the direct family of the detainee.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has no specific policy precluding the release of information relating to an individual’s location within the immigration detention estate. Data protection legislation however may prevent the release of such personal information should there be no legal basis to share it.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 20/05/2019 16:11:22 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126901

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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	Assistance Animals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether people travelling with assistance dogs to the EU will face disruption at EU borders at (a) train stations, (b) ports and (c) airports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government understands that assistance dog users, who have become familiar with the benefits of using the EU Pet Travel Scheme to travel to EU Member States, are concerned about the changes that could take place when the UK leaves the EU.</p><p> </p><p>In any exit scenario owners of assistance dogs from the UK will still be able to travel to the EU with their animals. After exit we want owners of assistance dogs to be able to take their animals to the EU with the minimum of disruption.</p><p> </p><p>If the UK leaves the EU without a deal and becomes an unlisted third country under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, assistance dogs would need to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, as now, but would also need to undergo a blood titre test to demonstrate that their rabies vaccination has been effective.</p><p> </p><p>On 25 March 2019 Defra issued updated guidance on pet travel to Europe after Brexit, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit</a>. This advises of the contingency planning owners should consider to make sure their animals can travel to the EU in the scenario that the UK is not granted listed third country status under EU Pet Travel Scheme rules. The guidance advises owners to contact their vet at least four months before travelling to get the latest advice.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has submitted an application for the UK to become a listed country under the EU pet travel regulations. Should the UK become a Part 1 listed country, there would be little change to the current arrangements, with only minor changes needed for documentation and, in most cases, no change for owners from what they currently need to do in terms of their animal’s health preparation. It is now for the EU Commission to consider our application for listed status.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members. We will also work with carriers to ensure that assistance dog owners have the correct health preparation and documentation to enable them to enter the EU. When further information becomes available it will be published on GOV.UK. Email alerts on pet travel can be subscribed to at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications</a>. We will also ensure that vets who issue pet travel documents have the most up to date information.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/05/2019 14:19:39 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126566

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>We can confirm we have searched our records and can provide the information below. This information covers the period 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019. We do not hold data relating specifically to stress as a separate category of sick leave absence. Instead we have provided data relating to all mental health absences. This category includes psychological illnesses such as stress, depression, anxiety and any other mental health condition.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>How many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to mental health in the last 12 months</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>109 members of staff 2.25% of total staff headcount</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>What proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Absences relating to mental health made up 34.9% of all sickness absences</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>What the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total cost of mental health sickness is £427,559.55</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The proportion of officials taking sick leave for reasons relating to mental health has remained constant at around 2% for the last five years.</p><p> </p><p>We have various services and support mechanisms in place to support employee mental health. For example we have an internal employee led mental health ‘buddy’ network, and employees have access to an external provider Employee Assistance Programme, and Occupational Health Service. We also have a process in place for notifying and managing work related stress.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 22/05/2019 14:37:00 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126568

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Wales Office
answering dept id	28
answering dept short name	Wales
answering dept sort name	Wales
hansard heading	Wales Office: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2019 answer text <p>The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is unable to disclose the number or proportion of officials in the Department citing stress as a reason for sick absence in the last twelve months as the data relates to fewer than five staff, and releasing the data would risk the identification of individuals.</p><p>Sick leave for reasons relating to stress amounted to 33% of total sick leave days in the Department in the 12 months to 31 March. The cost of officials taking sick leave was £14,117.</p><p>The physical and mental wellbeing of our staff is crucially important to the department and staff have access to all employee services that help to sustain physical and mental wellbeing, including Occupational Health and a 24-hour employee assistance helpline.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 17/05/2019 09:24:23 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126570

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Scotland Office: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, who remain the employers. These Departments have their own absence management policies and recording processes that apply to those of their staff working in the office. Detailed reasons for absence attributable to stress and other sickness absence is not retained by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.</p><p>The office takes sickness absence and the general wellbeing of staff very seriously and works alongside the employing departments to ensure that anyone who is experiencing issues receives support and assistance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell question first answered 21/05/2019 11:52:21 answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126571

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Department for Transport: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department and its Agencies have provided the responses below for the period 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019.</p><ol><li>The number of staff that took sickness absence due to stress was 553. The Department and its agencies employed a total of 14,956 employees at the end of April 2019.</li><li>Of the total number of staff that took sickness absence, the proportion due to stress was 7.57%. The proportion of working days lost to stress, out of all days lost due to sickness absence, was 14.33%.</li><li>The total cost of working days lost to sickness absence for the period above is estimated at £13,710,056.78.</li></ol><p> </p><p>The Department has a number of sources of support for employees including a free-to-use Employee Assistance Programme, which offers up to six counselling sessions at a convenient location within days of referral, and a Wellbeing Buddy Network run by volunteers. It has also launched a Mental Health First Aid service run by trained volunteers for colleagues in immediate emotional distress.</p><p>The Department recognises the importance of the line manager in mental health, and has a resource available for line managers to provide guidance on managing colleagues with mental health difficulties/issues. It has also launched Wellbeing Action Plans, to guide line managers in conversations about wellbeing, including in relation to mental health.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 22/05/2019 09:33:59 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126572

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department office took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in her Department; and what the cost was to her Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Civilian Sickness Absence data has been published on the GOV.UK website since January 2016 and the latest available edition can be found at the following link:</p><p> </p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-sickness-absence-financial-year-201718.</p><p> </p><p>Data relating to the 12 month period to 31 March 2019 is due to be published on 13 June 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD takes the health and wellbeing of its personnel very seriously. The Department’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all MOD employees, military and civilian, is designed to provide guidance to the chain of command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs, both mental and physical, of their people. The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness. In 2017, the Department also launched its Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2017–2022 with a four-step plan of implementation; promotion, prevention, detection and treatment.</p><p> </p><p>All civilian staff can access the Department’s Employee Wellbeing Service which offers emotional support and advice on life events as well as counselling services. In addition, the Speak Safe helpline provides a safe space to discuss issues relating to bullying, harassment and discrimination. The Department also has over 2,000 civilian and military Mental Health First Aiders, each of whom has completed a two-day course delivered in accordance with the requirements of Mental Health First Aid England (or equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MOD offers a range of flexibilities to enable a better work-life balance for civilian employees. The department recognises that by enabling employees to create a good work-life balance it benefits by attracting and retaining high calibre staff.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 20/05/2019 13:09:22 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake