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1064657

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
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 tackle domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Chichester
tabling member printed	Gillian Keegan
uin	909406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>On 21 January we published a landmark draft Domestic Abuse Bill, containing a ground-breaking series of measures to promote awareness, support victims, tackle perpetrators and improve services.</p><p>We have also published a package of non-legislative actions that will see further support for children, the elderly, disabled, male and migrant victims and those in the LGBTQ community.</p><p>We have already committed over £100million to tackle violence against women and girls, including £20m for victims of domestic abuse and £40 million for safe accommodation services.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 25/02/2019 17:47:59 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan

1064670

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
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	China: Uyghurs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	224366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2019 answer text <p>We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang Province and the Chinese government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uighur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.</p><p>Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so. I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.</p><p>During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uighurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to not only implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Xinjiang, but also to allow the UN to monitor the implementation.</p><p>Following the Universal Periodic Review, the Minister for the Commonwealth and UN issued a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-periodic-review-31st-session-minister-for-human-rights-statement" target="_blank">statement</a> where he said: “I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities, particularly the Uighurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 27/02/2019 16:09:43 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1064671

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
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	Animal Welfare
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 he has made of the adequacy of enforcement of laws on animal cruelty.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224329
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>The animal welfare laws in England contain effective powers to enable their robust enforcement.</p><p> </p><p>Any person or organisation, such as the RSPCA, can take forward private prosecutions under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The RSPCA in particular investigates many allegations of animal welfare offences where additional powers are needed, for example to gain entry or to seize animals. The RSPCA will often work in partnership with the police or local authorities who have these specific powers under the Act.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government is increasing the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from six months’ to five years’ imprisonment.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 28/02/2019 14:34:45 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064672

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
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	Liver Diseases: Transplant Surgery
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS news story entitled Machine that keeps livers 'alive' may boost transplant rates, published in April 2018, whether the NHS has any plans to commission further research on such liver storage facilities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224330
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2019 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a report in January on machine perfusion, which are machines that provide organs with blood, nutrients, and medicines outside the body. NICE said that these machines are safe to use, but that evidence on their efficacy is limited and should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance.</p><p> </p><p>Normothermic machine perfusion is currently being used for livers in one hospital in the United Kingdom on a trial basis. This technology is still considered novel and experimental. NHS Blood and Transplant, as the organ donation organisation for the United Kingdom, is supporting National Health Service hospitals’ research into perfusion technology and how it can enable more organs to be used for transplantation. NHS Blood and Transplant’s Research, Innovative and Novel Technologies Advisory Group oversees the use and progress of novel technologies for transplantation and will monitor the effectiveness of the use of these machines in the UK. When there is more evidence, it will make a recommendation on whether they should be commissioned.</p> answering member constituency Thurrock answering member printed Jackie Doyle-Price question first answered 27/02/2019 16:08:11 answering member 4065 label Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064673

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department provides funding to programmes that aim to support children from broken families.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224331
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2019 answer text <p>At Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on social care services, along with £84 million over 5 years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families.</p><p>This builds on the £200 billion government has already made available to councils up to 2020 to provide services in the best interests of local residents, including those for children and young people.</p><p>The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 01/03/2019 12:05:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064674

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Army: Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of army personnel that cannot be sent overseas due to medical reasons.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 February 2019 to Question 216134 to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr Andrew Rosindell).</p><p>For the Army, the health and wellbeing of personnel is a priority. A range of initiatives and policies are continuously being developed and implemented to address the conditions which most frequently cause medical downgrades.</p><p>The introduction earlier this year of new Physical Employment Standards for Ground Close Combat (GCC) roles followed evidence from research as part of a five-year programme that aims to reduce musculo-skeletal injury and optimise operational effectiveness. Work is now under way to develop the most suitable standards for non-GCC roles.</p><p>Additionally, there are a number of initiatives that aim to provide long-term support to address poor lifestyle choices and weight management issues, which we recognise as an issue for modern society. For example, some units are trialling a Healthy Living programme, using wearable technology linked to an online application which aims to instil a personal responsibility culture for soldiers to maintain their fitness.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 28/02/2019 15:53:57 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood attachment 1 file name 216134_Armed_Forces_Health.docx title 216134 - Armed Forces; Health
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064675

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
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	Housing: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what housing support his Department provides to people over 55.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of local funding for support services for vulnerable people including those over 55.</p><p>The funding for housing related support services is subsumed within the local government finance settlement. This funding was ring-fenced until 2009, when the ring-fence was removed thus allowing all local authorities to manage funding according to local priorities. It is up to local authorities to decide which services they wish to fund.</p><p>We are currently undertaking a review of housing related-support, to help us better understand how housing and support fit together. The review will give us a fuller picture into how housing-related support is provided for supported housing across England.</p><p>The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) can also support all eligible, including older, people to adapt their homes, to make them safe and suitable for their needs. Since 2012-13, the Government has invested more than £2.2 billion into the Grant, providing around 280,000 adaptations by the end of 2018-19. The grant has more than doubled from £220 million in 2015-16 to £505 million in 2019-20. The DFG is ring-fenced ensuring local authorities are providing necessary adaptations and not re-purposing it elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 28/02/2019 12:53:26 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064676

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
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	Fertility: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS has commissioned research on potential links between infertility and endometrium.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	224334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the largest public funder of health research in the United Kingdom. The NIHR is currently funding two specific studies researching potential links between infertility and endometrium, with combined total funding of over £3 million. One is on chronic endometritis and recurrent miscarriage, led by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The second study is exploring induced endometrial trauma, which may help a fertilised egg implant in the womb, for women undergoing in vitro fertilisation. This is a multicentred randomised control trial being led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.</p><p> </p><p>The Department commissions research through the NIHR and welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including potential links between infertility and endometrium. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.</p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 28/02/2019 11:48:50 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064677

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the cap on energy bills from 1 January 2019 was revised upwards; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the new cap will not change at six weekly intervals.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	224365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2019 answer text <p>The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act states that Ofgem, the independent regulator, must update the level of the cap at least every 6 months. Ofgem have scheduled 6 monthly revisions each April and October. Ofgem is responsible for adjusting the cap level to reflect changes to the estimated costs of supplying electricity and gas to homes for the following 6 months.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 27/02/2019 13:30:40 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1064678

registered interest
date	21/02/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Asset Protection Agency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) focused assets covered under the Asset Protection Agency and (b) focused assets underwritten by the Asset Protection Agency that were transferred to West Register between 2009 and 2012.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Martin Whitfield
uin	224359
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2019 answer text <p>The Asset Protection Agency (APA) was set up in 2009 to manage the Asset Protection Scheme (APS), with the objective of maintaining financial stability and protecting taxpayers’ interests by helping participating banks manage their exposure to high-risk assets.</p><p> </p><p>The 2009-10 APA Annual Reports and Accounts state that the APS initially provided protection on £282bn worth of assets on the consolidated balance sheet of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. The detail of these assets is commercially sensitive. The Annual Report can be found here: <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110533/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/apa.htm" target="_blank">https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110533/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/apa.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>To develop a more streamlined and better focused monitoring process for these assets, in 2011 and 2012 the APA stopped reviewing certain low risk assets and instead focused on a number of larger, high risk assets, known as the “Focus List”. Further information on the make-up of the Focus List can be found at <a href="http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-0368/DEP2012-0368.pdf" target="_blank">http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-0368/DEP2012-0368.pdf</a> and at <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229293/0120.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229293/0120.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Further detail on the assets underwritten by the APA, including the assets that were transferred to West Register, an RBS subsidiary, between 2009 and 2012, is commercially sensitive information in relation to RBS’ customers.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 26/02/2019 15:44:57 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4626 label Biography information for Martin Whitfield