Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1488299

registered interest
date	12/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 11682 on Asylum: Children and with reference to the 355 children aged 11 to 17 who were housed by her Department between 22 February and 1 June 2022, how many local authorities did she direct to look after those children using her powers under section 72 of the Immigration Act 2016; how many local authorities refused to do so; and if she will publish those local authorities.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	34940
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2022 answer text <p>All local authorities with children’s services in the UK have been directed to participate in the NTS. This means they are required to accept transfers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) into their care, providing crucial placements to these children.</p><p>Only one local authority has challenged the direction to participate in the scheme. Given this matter is currently subject to legal challenge, I am unable to comment further at this time.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 15/07/2022 14:44:38 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 13286 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1488301

registered interest
date	12/07/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children's Commissioner for England
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the agreement which his Department has made with the Children's Commissioner for England allowing her to take up a director position on the School-Led Development Trust, which is funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the arrangements in place to ensure that the Children's Commissioner for England maintains independence from (a) Government and (b) organisations outside Government.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	34942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>The Children’s Commissioner’s role, functions, powers, and independence are set out in the Children Act 2004. Pursuant to Schedule 1 of the Children Act 2004, the Children’s Commissioner for England is a Corporate Sole and, therefore, independent from government and not to be regarded as the servant or agent of the Crown.</p><p> </p><p>The School-Led Development Trust (SLDT) is running the National Institute of Teaching under contract to the department. SLDT is currently a private limited company seeking independent charitable status and, as such, it is responsible for their own recruitment processes for staff and trustees.</p><p> </p><p>The Children’s Commissioner has declared her role as Trustee of SLDT on the Office of Children’s Commissioner website under its register of interests.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/07/2022 13:57:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1485109

registered interest
date	30/06/2022
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	NHS: Dolby Vivisol
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place a copy of the (a) contract and (b) negotiation terms agreed between the NHS and Dolby Vivisol in the House of Commons Library.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	28423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>NHS England undertook a central procurement exercise for home oxygen supplies (HOS) on behalf of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). However, individual contracts are in place between CCGs and suppliers and are not held centrally. All HOS contracts are based on the National Health Service terms and conditions for the procurement of services which is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-standard-terms-and-conditions-of-contract-for-the-purchase-of-goods-and-supply-of-services" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-standard-terms-and-conditions-of-contract-for-the-purchase-of-goods-and-supply-of-services</a></p><p>The North East, South East and South Central NHS regions contracted with Dolby Vivisol.</p> answering member constituency Halesowen and Rowley Regis answering member printed James Morris question first answered 14/07/2022 14:47:25 answering member 3992 label Biography information for James Morris previous answer version 11093 answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar answering member 4362
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1485114

registered interest
date	30/06/2022
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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the guidance her Department has issued to case managers working on applications for advance payments of Universal Credit; how often advances were provided to people in each of the last 12 months; and for what reasons those advances were provided.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	28424
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2022 answer text <p>Universal Credit guidance is deposited in the House of Commons library twice a year, the latest published guidance was deposited on 26 April 2022 and can be found <a href="https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2284317/files" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 05/07/2022 15:45:39 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1485142

registered interest
date	30/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children's Commissioner for England: Written Questions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 June 2018 to Question 155805 and pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2022 to Question 24601, when his Department's policy changed to not contact the Children’s Commissioner with relevant Parliamentary Questions.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	28425
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>There has not been a change of policy. The hon. Member has asked for information which is not held by the department. Given that the Children’s Commissioner works independently of government, the hon. Member should send relevant questions directly to the Children’s Commissioner.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bassetlaw answering member printed Brendan Clarke-Smith question first answered 19/07/2022 17:07:59 answering member 4756 label Biography information for Brendan Clarke-Smith
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1484679

registered interest
date	29/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	British Students Abroad: USA
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department provides to English students studying a full degree at a university in the US.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	27625
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>Students are eligible for student finance only where their course is offered by a UK registered provider, and is substantially provided in the UK so that at least half of the teaching and supervision which comprise the course is provided in the UK. This ensures that funding is focused on eligible students studying within the UK.</p><p>To extend loan support to every student, no matter where they study, would involve substantial additional costs to the taxpayer, who already heavily subsidise the loan scheme.</p><p>The Fulbright Scholarship global programme provides the largest merit-based scholarship in the world, operating in 144 countries with bilateral programmes in 49 of them. The US-UK Fulbright Commission is responsible for administering the Fulbright Programme in the UK and is co-funded by the US and UK governments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Morley and Outwood answering member printed Andrea Jenkyns question first answered 19/07/2022 15:29:52 answering member 4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1484798

registered interest
date	29/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to reports from the charities Love146 UK and Care4Calais that some children seeking asylum without identification have been classified as adults and are at risk of transfer to Rwanda, how many asylum seekers claiming to be children have been determined to be adults following age assessments since 1 January 2022.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	27626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2022 answer text <p>Immigration officers operating at the border perform a difficult but vital function in preventing abuse of the immigration system and protecting genuine children from the safeguarding risks associated with allowing adults to access safe spaces which are properly reserved for children.</p><p>The UK Supreme Court recently considered and fully endorsed the lawfulness of the ‘significantly over 18’ policy for initial age assessments conducted at the border by immigration officers in the case of <em>BF Eritrea UKSC 2019/0147.</em></p><p>Furthermore, the initial age assessment process represents only the first stage of a broader age assessment procedure. It has been designed to allow those who wish to maintain their claim to be a child to seek assessment by a local authority. It is long established Home Office policy to give significant weight to a local authority age assessment.</p><p>The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release" target="_blank">Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release</a>’. Data on the number of age disputes and outcomes are published in table Asy_D05 of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#age-disputes" target="_blank">asylum and resettlement detailed datasets</a>. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data covers up to March 2022.</p><p>Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘<a href="https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&amp;content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&amp;organisations%5B%5D=home-office&amp;order=relevance" target="_blank">Research and statistics calendar</a>’</p><p>The published statistics for age disputes indicate there were 428 disputes raised on the basis of physical appearance and demeanour in the first quarter of 2022. Of the 255 disputes resolved in the same period, 126 cases were resolved with an outcome the person was an adult and 129 concluded the person was a child.</p><p>The statistics do not distinguish between those who have been assessed to be significantly over 18 and others who have been age disputed but referred directly to a local authority for further assessment. Detail of the volume of age dispute cases for the following quarter will be made available in future planned statistical publications.</p><p>Anyone who is the subject of an age dispute will be excluded from inadmissibility procedures as a matter of policy, where either the individual is undergoing assessment by a local authority, where there are ongoing legal proceedings on the subject of age or where the Home Office accepts a subsequent assessment by a local authority that the individual is a child.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/07/2022 11:22:03 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 10725 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1485436

registered interest
date	28/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that children from families in receipt of Universal Credit receive free school meals.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	900849
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>Under the benefits-related criteria the department provides a free healthy meal to around 1.9 million children, ensuring they are well nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve. We also spend around £600 million per year ensuring around 1.25 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy in 2014.</p><p>Schools fund benefit-related free school meals (FSM) from their core funding which they receive through the schools block of the dedicated schools grant and is derived from the national funding formula. For 2022-23, the funding schools attract through the 'FSM factor' in the national funding formula (NFF) is increasing to £470 per eligible pupil. The per meal rate for Universal Infant Free School Meals was increased in 2022-2023 to £2.41.</p><p>Under this government, eligibility has been extended several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, including the introduction of universal infant free school meals and further education FSM. The department has permanently extended eligibility to children from all groups with no recourse to public funds.</p><p>The number of pupils eligible for FSM has been increasing since 2018, when we introduced new eligibility criteria for Universal Credit families that was estimated to increase the number of free school meal pupils by 2022. Alongside this, we also introduced generous protections that meant no child would lose their free school meal eligibility as a result of this criteria change and throughout the rollout of Universal Credit.</p><p>We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their FSM, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this:</p><ul><li>We provide an Eligibility Checking System (ECS) to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.</li><li>We have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals.</li><li>We also provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.</li></ul> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 04/07/2022 16:24:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1473174

registered interest
date	24/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2022 to Question 18916 on Children: Asylum, if he will ask the Children's Commissioner to provide a written update on that issue; and if he will make it his policy to place a copy of the response in the Library of both Houses.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	24601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2022 answer text <p>This is a matter for the Children’s Commissioner. Given her independence, the hon. Member for South Shields will need to contact her directly.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/06/2022 16:30:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1470493

registered interest
date	15/06/2022
answering body	COP26
answering dept id	210
answering dept short name	COP26
answering dept sort name	COP26
hansard heading	Climate Change: Trade Agreements
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the President of COP26, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on facilitating the UK’s climate objectives and COP26 commitments through trade deals.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	900534
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2022 answer text <p>Last month my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for International Trade set out the UK’s priorities for green trade and how free and fair trade can play a critical role in driving the global green transition.</p><p><br>Our free trade agreements are one lever to removing barriers to green trade, strengthening bilateral cooperation on climate change and the environment and supporting the delivery of the environmental commitments secured through the UK’s COP26 Presidency.</p><p><br>For example, both the Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreements have included affirmations of each party’s commitments to address climate change, including the Paris Agreement, and recognise the importance of achieving our respective goals.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/06/2022 16:24:13 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck