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1128112

registered interest
date	23/05/2019
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	Lotteries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	Whether he plans to increase the annual turnover limit for society lotteries to £100 million per annum.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	911079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>The annual sales limit was one of the limits on which the government consulted and that we are considering in our response.</p><p>I am still committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework for lotteries is appropriate and that both society lotteries and the National Lottery are able to thrive.</p><p>My aim is to allow the society lottery sector to continue to grow, while maintaining the balance between society lotteries and the National Lottery.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/05/2019 11:45:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1127389

registered interest
date	20/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Nuclear Weapons: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent estimate she has made of the number of jobs supported by the nuclear defence sector.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	910985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>We estimate, based on industry and Government statistics, that the Defence Nuclear Enterprise supports at least 30,000 jobs, supporting prosperity across the United Kingdom.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 20/05/2019 16:50:12 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1122955

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Overseas Trade: India
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to increase the UK's proportion of global trade with India.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	910520
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>Exports to India were up nearly 20% in 2018 on the previous year, totalling over £7.9 billion.</p><p> </p><p>We have a number of initiatives to strengthen our bilateral trade relationship with India, including the Joint Working Group on Trade, which recently met in March.</p><p> </p><p>Only last night I was at the Grant Thornton tracker event with the Confederation of Indian Industry, to celebrate the success of some of the top Indian companies in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart question first answered 25/04/2019 10:37:16 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1121829

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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	Smoking: Health Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department spent on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in 2018-19; and what funding has been allocated to such campaigns in 2019-20.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	245755
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Expenditure on smoking cessation advertising media by Public Health England in 2018-19 was £2.5 million. Figures are net (rounded to nearest £10,000) and exclude Value Added Tax.</p><p>Media spend includes expenditure for advertising on television, radio, national press, regional press, out of home (outdoor), cinema and digital. Recruitment advertising and media partnerships are not included.</p><p>The funding allocation for 2019/20 is yet to be agreed.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 30/04/2019 13:24:41 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1109724

registered interest
date	04/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	STEM Subjects: Degrees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to encourage more students to study STEM degrees.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	241025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>Overall numbers of students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are rising. The share of students studying science subjects at English Higher Education providers has increased from 41% in 2010/11 to 45% in 2016/17.</p><p>Despite rising STEM student numbers, we are far from complacent and we know that employer groups continue to point to an unmet demand for higher level STEM skills. This issue seems to be particularly acute in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, engineering, science and technology. We are therefore implementing a number of initiatives across government to increase the numbers of STEM graduates. For example:</p><ul><li>The Department for Education (DfE) is piloting a conversion course scheme to enable graduates to retrain in engineering and computer science.</li><li>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are leading a £90 million investment in 1,000 new PhD places, of which around 85% will be in STEM areas, and 40% will aim to boost collaboration between industry and academia.</li><li>The government is providing funding for the new Institute of Coding, which aims to improve digital skills provision at levels 6 and 7. It will target a skills gap in digital skills and involves collaboration between education providers and industry.</li><li>The DfE is also supporting (with £15 million over 3 years) the New Model in Technology &amp; Engineering, a STEM-focused institution due to take its first full cohort of students in 2020.</li><li>Institutes of Technology are being established to help meet STEM skills needs at levels 4 – 6, working closely with local employers and Local Enterprise Partnerships.</li></ul><p>Effective careers guidance and advice is also key to supporting young people to undertake learning in areas that will give them the skills employers are looking for. The government’s careers strategy sets out a long-term plan to build a world class careers system to achieve this ambition. We are increasing the information available to students to ensure they can make informed choices about what and where to study.</p><p>As set out in the Industrial Strategy White Paper, the Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) programme aims to ensure that the local provision of skills, and the delivery of skills policy in local areas, meets and responds to changing employer needs. SAPs analysis will inform Local Industrial Strategies and local post-16 skills provision, so that skills provision better meets labour market needs.</p><p>Degree apprenticeships also allow universities to build partnerships with businesses and employers and to work together to create a skilled workforce. Employers are working in partnership with universities and professional bodies to meet the high-level technical skills that employers and our economy need to prosper.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 10/04/2019 16:39:45 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1109725

registered interest
date	04/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Overseas Students: Universities
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring that the UK continues to attract international students to British universities after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	241026
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>Ministers within the Department for Education have regular discussions with the Home Office on ways to ensure the UK remains an attractive study destination, and the UK already has a strong offer for overseas students who graduate in the UK. International graduates can remain in the UK to work following their studies by switching to several existing visa routes, including Tier 2 (skilled worker) visas.</p><p>As you will be aware, the Immigration White Paper, published in December 2018, proposes increasing the post-study leave period for international students following completion of studies to 12 months for those completing a PhD, and to 6 months for all full-time postgraduate and undergraduate students at institutions with degree awarding powers. These proposals go beyond recommendations set out in the Migration Advisory Committee’s report and will benefit tens of thousands of international students. During the Home Office’s 12-month engagement programme on the Immigration White Paper, business and stakeholders from a wide range of sectors, including the Higher Education sector, will be able to feed in their views on white paper proposals.</p><p>In addition, the International Education Strategy, published on 16 March 2019, sets out actions to continue to provide a welcoming environment for international students, and includes our ambition to increase the number of international students we host to 600,000 by 2030. One of the actions within the strategy includes considering where processes could be improved to improve the visa experience for international students.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 10/04/2019 16:47:37 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1109727

registered interest
date	04/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the level of (a) female and (b) BAME representation in top university positions.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	241027
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>Diversity and equality in higher education is a priority for this government. Higher education institutions are independent bodies and responsible for decisions about who they employ. Like every employer they must ensure they meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>Important progress has been made on the number of women in leadership roles in higher education, particularly in the increase in the proportion of female Chairs of Governing Bodies and female Vice-Chancellors. Sector-led gender initiatives, such as the Athena SWAN Charter and the Aurora development scheme, demonstrate the importance the sector attaches to tackling the barriers that hinder women’s progression in higher education careers.</p><p>On 1 February, the government announced measures to tackle ethnic disparities in higher education including encouraging higher education providers to make use of tools such as the Race at Work Charter and the Race Equality Charter to drive forward a step-change in the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees.</p><p>The government has also consulted on ethnicity pay reporting in order to inform future government policy.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 10/04/2019 16:06:43 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1109036

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Emergency Calls
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of legal protections for police emergency drivers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	239935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government fully recognises the difficult job that police drivers do every day to keep road users and the wider public safe.</p><p>In September 2017, the Home Office announced a review into the law, guidance and practice surrounding both police pursuits and response driving to ensure that officers have the right legal protections. That included working closely with the police representatives, including the Federation, other government departments and groups representing road users and those advocating road safety.</p><p>Following the outcome of the review, a consultation was published in May 2018 inviting comments on reforms to certain aspects of road traffic law, the tests set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988 for the offences of careless and dangerous driving, police guidance and training for both pursuit and response driving.</p><p>The consultation closed in August 2018 and we will shortly announce the next steps.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 05/04/2019 12:42:11 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1105886

registered interest
date	28/03/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Shoplifting: Harrow East
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Harrow East to prevent shop theft.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	238327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 04/04/2019 16:18:48 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1105887

registered interest
date	28/03/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reoffenders: Community Orders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commencing Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to allow courts to deal more appropriately with low-level offences by repeat offenders through the use of community orders rather than fines.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	238328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>There are no current plans to commence Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which allows courts, in certain circumstances, to use community orders for repeat offenders who might otherwise expect to receive fines.</p><p> </p><p>Section 143(2) of that Act requires courts to treat previous convictions as an aggravating factor when sentencing. For shop theft offences, the Sentencing Council’s guideline on theft offences came into force in 2016. This guideline allows for the imposition of community sentences for shop theft in a wide range of circumstances. In cases involving significant persistent offending, the community and custodial thresholds may be crossed even though the offence otherwise warrants a lesser sentence.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 03/04/2019 16:40:51 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman