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1675077

registered interest
date	04/12/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Electoral Register: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on its plans to trial Automatic Voter Registration.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	5042
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2023 answer text <p>In 2014, the then Coalition introduced Individual Electoral Registration. The Government has no plans to reassess its policy with regard to automatic voter registration for resident UK citizens or for registering UK citizens living abroad. The electoral system in the United Kingdom is trust based and voting is not mandatory. The Government opposes automatic voter registration because such a system would risk increasing errors and inaccuracies in the registers.</p><p>The Government understands that the Welsh Government is planning to trial automatic registration for devolved elections and will be paying close attention to any unintended or negative effects on registration for reserved elections.</p><p>The UK Government is working with the Electoral Commission to amplify its messaging to increase awareness of the forthcoming removal of the 15-year limit on British citizens’ living abroad and their eligibility to register and vote in UK Parliamentary elections.</p> answering member constituency North Dorset answering member printed Simon Hoare grouped question UIN 5043 5044 5045 question first answered 11/12/2023 17:22:10 answering member 4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1674654

registered interest
date	01/12/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Electric Vehicles: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to develop guidance for the public on (a) the potential risks of and (b) how to safely purchase conversion kits for (i) e-bikes and (ii) e-scooters.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	4826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>My Department is developing safety guidance for users of e-cycles and e-scooters and will publish this in due course. This will include information on conversion kits, and will complement the guidance already published by the Home Office on the Fire England website: <a href="http://www.fireengland.uk/fire-safety/charging-your-e-bike-or-e-scooter" target="_blank">www.fireengland.uk/fire-safety/charging-your-e-bike-or-e-scooter</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 06/12/2023 10:56:40 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

1674350

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
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	Tobacco: Trading Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed generational ban on the sale of tobacco products on trading standards.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	4646
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2023 answer text <p>Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.</p><p>This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products.</p><p>The Government is providing an additional £30 million a year for enforcement agencies such as trading standards, Border Force and HM Revenue and Customs to implement and enforce the law. The Smokefree generation consultation also proposes to introduce new powers for local authorities to issue on-the-spot fines, otherwise known as fixed penalty notices.</p><p>We will publish our Impact Assessment in due course.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 11/12/2023 16:05:28 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1673522

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Veterans: Radiation Exposure
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish (a) a copy of Lord Chancellor's Instruments (LCIs) Nos 76 and 118 and (b) set out which exemptions applied under those LCIs to retain Atomic Weapons Establishment files containing details of blood and urine testing of personnel in the UK nuclear weapons programme.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	4035
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>Lord Chancellor's Instruments (LCIs) are public records. Arrangements for their permanent preservation and public access are managed in line with public records and information rights legislation.</p><p>The schedules which accompany the named LCIs set out the reasons that specified Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) files have been retained by AWE. The grounds for retention of those AWE files covered by LCI 76 are national security, security against possible terrorist activity, international relations, and the UK’s international obligations. AWE records covered by LCI 118 were retained due to the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons or retained to allow a more detailed review of their access status.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale question first answered 06/12/2023 12:30:51 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1673588

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Development Aid: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much and what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance spending has been on (a) 16-19 education, (b) adult education and (c) education in total in each of the last 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	4178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>Education is an important international development priority. From 2013 to 2022, the UK is estimated to have spent £6.9 billion of bilateral education Official Development Assistance (ODA). Of this, £1 billion was spent on secondary education and £1 billion on post-secondary education including scholarships. The UK is estimated to have spent £2.3 billion in multilateral education ODA from 2012 to 2021. Of this, £451 million was spent on secondary education and £381 million was spent on post-secondary education. Annual breakdowns of UK ODA spend on education, including as a proportion of total spend, are available here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development]</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 06/12/2023 14:54:56 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1673092

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Inland Waterways: Leicestershire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to reopen the canal in Measham; and if he will take steps to provide compensation to Measham Parish Council for the loss of that amenity in recent years.
tabling member constituency	North West Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Andrew Bridgen
uin	3836
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>Whilst provision for the extension of the canal at Measham was made under previous plans for HS2, decisions regarding the restoration and reopening of the canal are a matter for the Ashby Canal Trust and not the Department for Transport or HS2 Ltd.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 04/12/2023 15:01:56 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman
tabling member	4133 label Biography information for Andrew Bridgen

1673150

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship levy funded service accounts have (a) utilised all of the funds in their account and (b) not utilised all of the funds available within the two-year time period in each year since its introduction.
tabling member constituency	Witham
tabling member printed	Priti Patel
uin	3787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2023 answer text <p>The government introduced the apprenticeship levy to incentivise larger businesses to develop and invest in their own apprenticeship programmes whilst ensuring the availability of funding for smaller employers wanting to offer apprenticeships. Through the levy, the government is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to support employers of all sizes build their workforces. As the apprenticeships levy is UK wide, income from the levy also supports the Devolved Administrations to invest in their skills programmes.</p><p> </p><p>In England, employers can use their levy contributions to fund apprenticeships in their own business or transfer their funds to other businesses in their supply chain, sector or region. Funds that levy payers do not draw on is used to fund apprenticeships in small and medium sized businesses. Levy payers are not expected to use all funds available to them, though they are able to do so.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of registered employer apprenticeship service accounts that utilised all their funds available, as well as the number that did not, in each financial year since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>FY</p></td><td><p>Number of registered employer accounts on the apprenticeship service that utilised all funds available</p></td><td><p>Number of registered employer accounts on the apprenticeship service that did not utilise all their funds available and therefore had expired funds</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>5650</p></td><td><p>7570</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>5030</p></td><td><p>10660</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>4930</p></td><td><p>11960</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>5210</p></td><td><p>12230</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>6790</p></td><td><p>11920</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Please note that:</p><ul><li>Funds remain available for 24 months before they begin to expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis; as employers began to pay the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, unused levy funds began to expire in May 2019.</li><li>The sum of expiry figures for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years are not specified as funds do not expire for 24 months.</li><li>Expiry figures for the 2017/2018 financial year will appear lower than future years due to the oldest funds in an employers’ accounts being utilised first.</li><li>Expiry figures for the 2021/22 financial year only include data to October and therefore does not represent a full year.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>The funds available to levy-paying employers through their apprenticeship service accounts are not the same as the apprenticeships budget which funds apprenticeships for employers of all sizes. On average, 98% of the apprenticeships budget has been spent in the last two financial years. Spend for the 2023/24 financial year, and for future years, will be set out in the department’s annual report and accounts which will be published when available. The apprenticeships budget beyond 2024/25 will be determined at the next Spending Review.</p><p>With regard to allowing levy-paying employers to spend funds on non-apprenticeship training schemes and courses, I refer my right hon. Friend, the Member for Witham to the answer I gave on 10 November 2023 to Question <a href="https://members.parliament.uk/member/4862/contact" target="_blank">614</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 3788 3789 3792 question first answered 13/12/2023 17:35:26 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel

1673197

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
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	Antibiotics: Drug Resistance
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 steps his Department is taking to help reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health from overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	3771
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the ‘<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fuk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2019-to-2024&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C52fa9914154a4463f68408dbf0cf2146%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638368545158632709%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=LmraYbpnLBJubTKipjkP9wncqI7OV0iauvrL8kK%2BAak%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’</a>, which is underpinned by the UK’s 20-year Vision to Contain and Control AMR by 2040 . Defra is a co-signatory with the Department of Health and Social Care on the 5-year National Acton Plan and 20-year vision on AMR, and Defra leads on delivering the animal, plant and environment elements.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals to reduce the risk of development and spread of AMR in animals and humans. In the UK, we have a well-established antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance programme, which includes monitoring of sales and use of antibiotics in animals as well as routine monitoring of AMR in major food-producing species, healthy pigs and poultry. These surveillance programmes allow us to monitor progress and results are published every year in the <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fveterinary-antimicrobial-resistance-and-sales-surveillance-2022&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C52fa9914154a4463f68408dbf0cf2146%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638368545158641017%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=jzeONxTfOSuykUw1RiSOH8QKJ8AKRTqZntckzyHN5jM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance</a> (UK-VARSS) report.</p><p> </p><p>The recently published <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fveterinary-antimicrobial-resistance-and-sales-surveillance-2022&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C52fa9914154a4463f68408dbf0cf2146%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638368545158647239%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HHT5pIbb5llXzNIWN7RiWDiZo03%2BClBb83RywQGb9EM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">UK-VARSS report</a> shows that sales of antibiotics in food producing animals are at their lowest ever level, with a 59% reduction since 2014. This highlights the success of the UK’s voluntary and collaborative approach between Government and the farming and veterinary sectors to make sustainable reductions in antibiotic use whilst ensuring high animal health and welfare. The report also highlights that sales of highest priority, critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) have reduced by 82% since 2014 and account for less than half a percent of total sales. This is to ensure that these medically important antibiotics are protected for use in humans.</p><p> </p><p>The newly published third edition of <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F656488f11524e60011a100f8%2F_2681096-v1-Third_UK_One_Health_Report.PDF&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C52fa9914154a4463f68408dbf0cf2146%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638368545158652330%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=GiSvsiKPmSJ2b0pXFrJ8VKqLxKilsEBT0eyOlxiuYgs%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The UK’s One Health report,</a> a joint report from Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), brings together antibiotic use and resistance data for people and animals and sales of antibiotics in 2019 show that approximately two thirds of antibiotics are used in people whilst one third are used in animals. This report demonstrates the UK Government’s One Health approach to tackling AMR to keep antibiotics working in both people and animals.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 05/12/2023 13:31:32 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1673272

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
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	Cold Weather Payments: Hornsey and Wood Green
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cold weather payments were made to pensioners in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23; and what the total value of those payments were.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	3879
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2023 answer text <p>The Cold Weather Payment (CWP) scheme is administered at weather station level rather than at a constituency or regional level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office, which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0<strong>°</strong> C or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).</p><p> </p><p>The constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green covers all or part of the following postcode areas: N2, N4, N6, N8, N10, N11, N13, N17, N22 and N81[1].</p><p> </p><p>For the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Cold Weather Payment seasons, the above postcode areas are covered by the weather station Heathrow. Heathrow weather station covers the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include constituencies other than Hornsey and Wood Green.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Table 1</strong> <strong>Postcode districts mapped to Weather Stations</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Weather station</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Postcode Districts Covered</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Heathrow</p></td><td><p>BR1-4, CR0, CR2-8, E1-18, E20, E1W, EC1A, EC1M, EC1N, EC1R, EC1V,EC1Y, EC2A, EC2M, EC2N, EC2R, EC2V, EC2Y, EC3A, EC3M, EC3N, EC3R, EC3V, EC4A, EC4M, EC4N, EC4R, EC4V, EC4Y, EN1-5, EN7-11, HA0-9, IG1-11, KT1-24, N1-22, N1C, NW1-11, SE1-28, SL0, SL3, SM1-7, SW2-20, SW1A, SW1E, SW1H, SW1P, SW1V, SW1W, SW1X, SW1Y TW1-20, UB1-11, W2-14, W1B-D, W1F-H, W1J-K, W1S-U, W1W, WC1A-B, WC1E, WC1H, WC1N, WC1R, WC1V, WC1X, WC2A-B, WC2E, WC2H, WC2N, WC2R</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Qualifying individuals living in these postcode districts will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather.</p><p> </p><p>For the 21/22 Cold Weather Payment season, running from 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022, there were 0 Cold Weather Payment triggers for Heathrow weather station.</p><p> </p><p>For the 22/23 Cold Weather Payment season, running from 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023, there was 1 Cold Weather Payment trigger for Heathrow weather station. The estimated payments to Pension Credit recipients during 22/23 Cold Weather Payment season is 180,000, equating to an estimated spend of £4.5 million.</p><p> </p><p>[1] Postcode information was obtained from the ONS Postcode Directory (November 2023): <a href="https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/ons-postcode-directory-november-2023/about" target="_blank">ONS Postcode Directory (November 2023) | Open Geography Portal (statistics.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 05/12/2023 11:36:09 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1673295

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Technology: Foreign Investment in UK
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the GREAT Tech campaign on (a) overseas investors' perceptions of the UK’s technology ecosystem and (b) the propensity of overseas investors to invest in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	3816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>The Unicorn Kingdom campaign was launched by GREAT in March 2023. The campaign’s primary purpose is to improve perceptions of the UK tech ecosystem and drive inward investment.</p><p>To date the campaign has directly engaged US investors representing over $500 billion in assets under management and several of those investors are actively engaging with HMG in relation to establishing offices in the UK.</p><p>A comprehensive evaluation will be completed in 2024 to assess the campaign's impact on international perceptions of the UK's technology ecosystem, the number of overseas investors considering investing in the UK, and the amount of overseas investment attributed to the campaign. We will continue to monitor impact from the campaign beyond this initial evaluation period.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 30/11/2023 16:39:27 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah