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1191008

registered interest
date	28/04/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend the Treasury Direction in relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to enable employers to furlough employees (a) on sick leave and (b) that were pregnant women and sent home on sick leave following the Prime Minister’s public advice statement of 16 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	40994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The Direction does not prevent someone from being furloughed if they are pregnant, on Statutory Sick Pay or are eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, including if they are following shielding measures in line with public health guidance. This is consistent with the published guidance and the Prime Minister’s public advice statement.</p><p>The Government is grateful for the feedback it has received on both the HM Treasury Direction and HMRC’s guidance. HMRC and HM Treasury will continue to consider these comments and will provide appropriate clarification if necessary.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 04/05/2020 13:42:02 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1191009

registered interest
date	28/04/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Employment: Pregnancy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to (a) businesses and (b) employers on the (i) support they are required to provide to pregnant employees and (ii) the furloughing of pregnant employees who are unable to work safely or work from home during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	40995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 continue to apply, and guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/law.htm.</p><p> </p><p>An employee can be furloughed if they are pregnant, including if they are following shielding measures in line with public health guidance. When furloughing pregnant employees, the normal rules for maternity and other forms of parental leave and pay apply. Employers can claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for enhanced (earnings related) contractual pay for employees who qualify for maternity pay.</p><p> </p><p>All employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the Government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus. Guidance on the scheme is available for employers at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-step-by-step-guide-for-employers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-step-by-step-guide-for-employers</a>, and for employees at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 04/05/2020 13:37:09 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1191122

registered interest
date	28/04/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Greece: Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Greek counterpart on the humanitarian situation of migrants along the Greek-Turkish border.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	40997
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The British Government remains committed to supporting Greek efforts to manage migration effectively. We regularly discuss our concerns with Greek ministers and senior officials, as well as our Turkish counterparts. The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Greek Foreign Minister about the issue of migrants on the Greece/Turkey border on 18 March. On 22 April, the UK Immigration Compliance Minister and Greece's Alternate Migration Minister signed a bilateral migration action plan to reaffirm our commitment to cooperation. The Plan covers joint work to tackle organised immigration crime; sharing of expertise on asylum processing and migrant returns; deployment of a Border Force search and rescue cutter to the Aegean; facilitation of family reunification of unaccompanied asylum seeking children; and establishment of a strategic migration dialogue.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 04/05/2020 10:41:37 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1190719

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public Health: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is responsible for co-ordinating the covid-19 public information campaign in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	40517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government has developed a strong national campaign across all four nations of the UK to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19.</p><p>This is a cross-government campaign involving multiple departments. It is being coordinated centrally by the Cabinet Office who are working closely with the Devolved Administrations, including with the Welsh Government to ensure campaign materials are translated for use in Wales.</p><p>The Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">gov.uk</a> as part of routine government transparency arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 40518 question first answered 04/05/2020 13:42:05 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1190289

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Customs Intermediaries: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on (a) recruiting and (b) training additional HMRC customs agents.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	39478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2020 answer text <p>HMRC have engaged extensively with the customs intermediaries sector on demand for customs broker services post-EU Exit and a possible shortfall in capacity. In response to feedback, HMRC have made £34 million available to support the sector with training, improvements in automation and recruitment of customs agents, and HMRC continue to consider ways to promote innovation in the sector and increase capacity. This support has funded approximately 19,200 training courses in customs processes and procedures and the creation of a new UK Customs Academy to provide online training courses and industry-recognised qualifications.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 29/04/2020 15:11:14 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1190290

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
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	Carer's Allowance: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to increase carer's allowance to reflect the (a) additional care that carers may be providing and (b) financial difficulties they may face as a result of loss of income during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	39479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2020 answer text <p>DWP has now introduced two important temporary measures to help unpaid carers through the current emergency:</p><ul><li>unpaid carers will be able to continue to claim Carer’s Allowance if they have a temporary break in caring, because they or the person they care for gets coronavirus or if either have to isolate because of it. (Under normal rules there are restrictions on breaks in care, but these have been lifted.); and</li><li>providing “emotional support” (rather than just more traditional forms of care) to a disabled person will also now count towards the Carer’s Allowance threshold of 35 hours of care a week.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The rate of Carer’s Allowance was also increased in early April as part of the annual uprating process. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £67.25 a week, meaning nearly an additional £700 a year for carers. The standard allowance in Universal Credit has been temporarily increased for the 20/21 tax year by £86.67 per month (equivalent to £20 per week) on top of the planned annual uprating. This additional increase means claimants will be up to £1040 better off. Carers receiving Universal Credit will benefit from this.</p><p> </p><p>Income replacement benefits help people and households on lower incomes, and can include a carer premium, currently £37.50 a week. An equivalent additional amount applies in Pension Credit. Universal Credit also includes a carer element at the rate of £162.92 per monthly assessment period. These amounts recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and mean that lower-income carers can receive more money than others who receive these benefits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 29/04/2020 12:33:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1189033

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	RAF Valley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many overseas student pilots are being trained at RAF Valley as at 21 April 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	38429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>There are currently four overseas students receiving flying training at RAF Valley.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 27/04/2020 11:52:15 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1189034

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	RAF Valley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether training flights have been conducted from RAF Valley since 23 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	38430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>Yes. Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 23 March there was a short pause in flying training to assess the impact of COVID-19. Essential flying training at RAF Valley on the Hawk aircraft recommenced on 31 March and on the Texan aircraft on 14 April. The delivery of all training will remain under constant review as the situation changes.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 27/04/2020 11:53:24 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1189035

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Military Aid: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the use of army heavy goods vehicles to transport essential medical equipment across the UK.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	38431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence continues to work across Government, including with the Department for Health and Social Care, to ensure that Defence is prepared to provide support to other Government Departments, civil authorities and devolved partners where requested and appropriate to do so.</p><p>Currently there are two Immediate Replenishment Groups, based in Aldershot and Salford, who can be tasked by the 'National Supply Disruption Response' crisis hotline, and are on three hours notice to move. These are comprised of 27 military vehicles and 66 military personnel. Other logistic assets are being held at varying states of readiness, which include approximately 139 vehicles and 518 personnel. In most circumstances, commercial options will be the most appropriate. Of course, the military stand by whenever required.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 27/04/2020 12:15:44 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1187030

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	PAYE: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that interest is not charged on PAYE payments that are deferred as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	33433
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses and individuals affected by COVID-19. This includes the deferment of VAT and Income Tax Self-Assessment payments for specified periods. Interest on these deferred payments will be waived.</p><p> </p><p>All other taxes are required to be reported and paid on time, and interest continues to apply to late payments. HMRC have scaled up their Time to Pay service, which is available to any taxpayer in temporary financial distress as a result of COVID-19 and with outstanding tax liabilities. Time to Pay arrangements are tailored to the taxpayer and can include deferment of tax payments and an agreed time period to repay. They can cover any tax liability, including PAYE.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has announced a range of other support for businesses, including grants for small businesses and government-backed loans that do not accrue interest for the first 12 months. Further information about HMRC’s dedicated COVID-19 support can be found by visiting the GOV.UK website.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 21/04/2020 14:09:45 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams