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1682391

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Overseas Trade
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to help encourage more trade between the UK and its neighbours.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>This Government continues to support UK firms to export and invest. We have published our Export Strategy which sets out the support we provide to companies and investors through our network of international trade advisers, sector specialists, and the export support service.</p><p>Ministers and officials meet European partners to promote trade and investment opportunities, remove barriers to trade and support UK businesses. In addition to our trade agreements with the European Union and the EEA/EFTA, we are negotiating an enhanced FTA with Switzerland and will continue to pursue opportunities to strengthen economic ties with our neighbours.</p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 23/01/2024 18:16:59 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682392

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to increase the level of support available to victims of domestic abuse who are waiting for their trials to begin.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>We are doing more than ever to ensure victims continue to receive the support they need as we work hard to ensure swift justice.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that support services play a vital role, and that Independent Domestic Violence Advisors can be critical to helping victims of domestic abuse at all stages of the criminal justice system. This includes when they are waiting for their trial to begin.</p><p> </p><p>We are quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10. The funding will allow us to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisers by 300 to over 1,000, a 43% increase over this spending review period (2022/23 to 2024/25 inclusive).</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that there is clarity on what victims can and should expect from the criminal justice system response, on 8 November 2023 we reintroduced the Victims and Prisoners Bill, alongside a wider package of measures designed to improve victims' experiences of the criminal justice system.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 24/01/2024 15:32:14 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682394

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Dental Services: Finance
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 take steps to provide additional funding to help prevent the closure of NHS dental services.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>The National Health Service reformed dental contracts in 2022 which will help to improve access for patients across England while providing fairer remuneration for dentists. We are already investing £3 billion a year into dentistry and are working hard to improve access to care. We know that we must go further and will publish a Dentistry Recovery Plan shortly.</p><p>From 1 April 2023, the commissioning responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs became responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups, and for undertaking oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 24/01/2024 17:48:26 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682395

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Mortgages: Government Assistance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help support mortgage holders with high interest rates; and whether he has had recent discussions with mortgage lenders on taking steps to support mortgage holders.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, the Government is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their business</p><p> </p><p>The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken steps to limit the impact of rising interest rates on mortgage holders, through the Mortgage Charter, which sets out the standards signatory lenders will adopt when helping their customers, including new flexibilities to help customers manage their mortgage payments over a short period.</p><p> </p><p>The Charter is in addition to the significant safeguards already in place for consumers in the mortgage market.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 24/01/2024 12:03:37 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682396

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) find and (b) remove Chinese surveillance technology from national security infrastructure.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure and protect its national security infrastructure.</p><p>Following Royal Assent of the Procurement Act on 26 October 2023 the Government committed to publishing a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites within six months.</p><p>To meet this commitment, the Cabinet Office has been working with departments to identify any such equipment on their sensitive sites, and will publish a timeline for when the removal process will be complete, by 26 April 2024.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 24/01/2024 17:31:35 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682397

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help tackle and (b) vet HM Prison staff to ensure compliance with rules on the smuggling of contraband into prisons; and whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on a UK-wide approach to this issue.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. All HMPPS prison staff are subject to pre-employment vetting checks, including social and digital media vetting checks, to assess whether candidates meet the high standards expected of them to work in HMPPS and assures a standard of resilience upon entry. This vetting is renewed every 10 years.</p><p> </p><p>HMPPS is undertaking a Vetting Reform Programme and applying the recommendations from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police, Fire &amp; Rescue Services report of 2022: “<em>An Inspection of Vetting, Misconduct and Misogyny in the Police Service</em>” to prisons and probation.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has not held discussions with devolved administrations about vetting but will consider the merits of doing so to ensure processes remain modern and robust across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We committed to having a zero-tolerance approach to crime in prisons. Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including the smuggling of contraband, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered airport-style enhanced gate security to 42 high-risk sites, implementing routine searching of staff. We have since gone further and installed X-ray baggage scanners at 49 sites and invested into new drug trace detection equipment across the estate.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/01/2024 16:56:04 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682398

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Intelligence Services and Police: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that recruitment to (a) police and (b) security services are promoted positively; and what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Justice on an effective approach to this issue.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9828
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government fully supports the excellent work that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) undertakes to keep people in Northern Ireland safe.The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland retains responsibility for national security in Northern Ireland, therefore he and his officials are in regular contact with the Chief Constable of the PSNI, regarding a variety of matters. However, as justice and policing are areas of devolved responsibility, it is necessary that oversight and decisions on PSNI recruitment are carried out by locally-elected politicians.</p><p>Across England and Wales, the Government delivered a successful campaign to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023. This was facilitated by a national recruitment campaign based on research and insights, showing that people are attracted to a career in policing by the variety of the role, and the ability to help local communities. The campaign was also supported by the creation of the <em>Join the Police </em>website, which promotes policing careers and provides a source of helpful information for candidates. This website remains available to anyone interested in joining the police.</p><p>It is the policy of successive UK governments not to comment on matters of intelligence and national security. This includes recruitment to the intelligence agencies.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 23/01/2024 15:44:48 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682399

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Housing: Construction
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 steps his Department is taking to incentivise the development of (a) GP surgeries and (b) other infrastructure in new housing developments.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act introduces powers to create the new Infrastructure Levy to reform the existing developer contributions system in England. The mandatory, non-negotiable Levy aims to generate more funding for infrastructure, such as GP surgeries, to mitigate the impacts of new development.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 23/01/2024 11:34:32 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682400

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Psoriasis: Medical Treatments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken recent steps to provide new medications for treating psoriasis on the NHS.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9830
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government wants all National Health Service patients to benefit from timely access to safe and effective new medicines in a way that represents value to the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops evidence-based guidance for the NHS on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE appraises all newly licensed medicines and aims to publish draft guidance around the time of licensing wherever possible. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2019, NICE has recommended several medicines for the treatment of patients with psoriasis meeting specified clinical criteria, including risankizumab, bimekizumab, tildrakizumab and deucravacitinib. The NHS is now legally required to routinely fund these treatments for eligible NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 22/01/2024 13:31:29 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1682401

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
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	Soft Drinks: Sugar
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has held recent discussions with (a) food and drink manufacturers and (b) high street retailers on taking steps to reduce the sugar content of iced coffee products.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	9831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>Engagement continues with trade associations and businesses on the need for further progress, beyond what has already been made, to reduce the sugar content of iced coffee products.</p><p>As these products are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), guidelines to reduce the sugar content of milk based drinks, including iced coffee products, by 20% by 2021 form part of the voluntary sugar reduction programme. Progress to date shows that sugar and calories in pre-packed milk based drinks sold through retail have reduced by 29.7% and 20%, respectively. Pre-packed milk substitute drinks have reduced sugar and calories by 6.9% and 8%, respectively.</p><p>A further report detailing progress on sugar reductions in these products, between 2017 and 2021, is due in 2024. This data will enable HM Treasury to consider whether to take these drinks into the levy, which it committed to when the SDIL came in to force in 2018.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 24/01/2024 17:38:37 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon