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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1124136

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Equality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has plans to introduce further auditing and fines for employers who cannot prove their gender equality practices.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	249918
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Organisations with 250 or more employees are now required to publish specific gender pay gap data on an annual basis. We believe that this transparency is motivating employers to take action, but these regulations are new and we will be monitoring them closely.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to urge employers to go beyond the reporting requirements by publishing an action plan, setting out the steps they are taking to improve gender equality, just under half of employers did this in the first year. I intend to write to all public sector employers urging them to develop a plan, and will meet influential business leaders to press them to take action in their sectors.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 11/06/2019 14:56:14 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1125354

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Equal Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, for what reasons the UK has not accepted the obligation under Article 4.3 of the European Social Charter to recognise the right of men and women workers to equal pay for work of equal value.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	251971
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government supports the work of the Council of Europe and continues to support the European Social Charter (1961). Since the European Social Charter came into force in the UK we have introduced a number of policy and legislative reforms that provide equivalent or greater protections for individuals in the field of equal pay.</p><p> </p><p>We have also ratified a number of international conventions which provide equivalent protections and which the UK has implemented via national legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We are fully committed to the Equal Pay protections in the Equality Act 2010. In 2014, we introduced equal pay audits for when employers are found to have breached equal pay law and in 2017 we introduced gender pay gap reporting.</p><p> </p><p>Our equal pay legislation complies with EU requirements, which are reflected in Article 4.3 of the European Social Charter. We are committed to ensure that the robust protections provided by Equality Acts 2006 and 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU, as will Article 157 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which will become part of EU-retained law.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 11/06/2019 14:59:14 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1127763

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Disability: Access
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to improve enforcement of requirements of the Equality Act 2010 on access to facilities for disabled people.
	tabling member constituency	Camborne and Redruth
	tabling member printed	George Eustice
	uin	256978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010 contains strong, enforceable protections for disabled people who experience discrimination, including a failure by employers or service providers to make reasonable adjustments to enable disabled people to access work and services like everybody else.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018 the Government committed to the commencement of section 36 of the Equality Act, which will enable disabled tenants to require that landlords and building owners to make reasonable adjustments to the common parts of dwellings, such as entry points, landings and stairs. Work to determine the cost of implementation is proceeding and an announcement will be made in due course.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which enforces the Equality Act, recently delivered a Legal Support Project to increase access to justice for people experiencing disability discrimination. It offered groups £189,000 for legal assistance across 94 cases in areas including employment.</p><p> </p><p>The EHRC has increased its capacity to advise on discrimination cases in its new strategic plan, and has supported several court cases which resulted in strengthened rights for disabled people, including those wishing to make reasonable adjustments to their homes and disabled children who may demonstrate a tendency to physical abuse as a result of their disability, whose schools must now make reasonable adjustments in such cases.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 11/06/2019 14:58:15 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	3934 label Biography information for George Eustice

1128208

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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	Hunting
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2018 to Question 199874 on Hunting, what criteria his Department applies to ensure that scientific evidence is sufficient to (a) demonstrate that trophy hunting is an effective conservation tool and (b) is independent of the trophy hunting industry.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	257507
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Imports of hunting trophies into the UK are subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, which apply in the UK. All applications for permits to import hunting trophies into the UK are assessed to make sure that the import would not have a harmful effect on the conservation status of the species or on the extent of the territory occupied by the relevant population of the species. In addition, the applicant must provide documentary evidence, in the form of an export permit that demonstrates that the specimens have been obtained in accordance with the legislation on the protection of the species concerned.</p><p> </p><p>There are import suspensions in place for countries where hunting of the species concerned is not considered to be sustainable. The need for any further suspensions is kept under active review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State held a roundtable with stakeholders last month on this issue.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 257508 question first answered 10/06/2019 10:39:39 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1128209

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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	Polar Bears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 236523 on Polar Bears, what progress he has made on holding a roundtable discussion with organisations from all sides of the debate on whether the six species that are protected by stricter trophy hunting import controls at EU level will be maintained or extended in the event of the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	257508
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Imports of hunting trophies into the UK are subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, which apply in the UK. All applications for permits to import hunting trophies into the UK are assessed to make sure that the import would not have a harmful effect on the conservation status of the species or on the extent of the territory occupied by the relevant population of the species. In addition, the applicant must provide documentary evidence, in the form of an export permit that demonstrates that the specimens have been obtained in accordance with the legislation on the protection of the species concerned.</p><p> </p><p>There are import suspensions in place for countries where hunting of the species concerned is not considered to be sustainable. The need for any further suspensions is kept under active review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State held a roundtable with stakeholders last month on this issue.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 257507 question first answered 10/06/2019 10:39:39 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1128212

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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, how many people have had their deductions under universal credit reduced from the maximum rate of 40 per cent of an individual's standard allowance in the last (a) month and (b) 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	257510
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 10/06/2019 14:52:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1128257

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2019
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: Maladministration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions the winter fuel payment has been incorrectly paid; and what steps he has taken to recover those payments in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Moray
	tabling member printed	Douglas Ross
	uin	257526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The DWP makes around 12 million Winter Fuel payments each year.</p><p>The DWP is working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring in the first place. However, these do sometimes occur due to a claimant failing to inform DWP of a change of household composition, or that they have moved abroad. Winter Fuel staff annually undertake an extensive Data Matching exercise to identify if any overpayments have occurred, and reduce the possibility of incorrect payments.</p><p>The table below shows the volume of Winter Fuel payments that were overpaid in the last 3 financial years rounded to the nearest 100. This represents less than 0.05% of the total Winter Fuel payments made.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Volume Of Winter Fuel Payments Overpaid</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>3,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>5,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>5,200</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>*The data in this response has been sourced from internal management information. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the Department.</em></p><p /><p>The DWP has an obligation to ensure that public money is administered responsibly. Therefore, where permitted under Social Security legislation, the DWP seeks to recover any overpaid benefit. Where possible, the DWP will recover through on-going deductions from a claimant’s benefit.</p><p>The DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. There are maximum rates of deduction that are set out in legislation, and if a claimant is struggling they can contact the DWP’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 10/06/2019 15:06:10 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4627 label Biography information for Douglas Ross

1128270

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Roads: Chatham and Aylesford
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding he has allocated to repair roads in Chatham and Aylesford.
	tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
	tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
	uin	257532
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Local highway authorities are responsible for the maintenance of the local road network in their area. Chatham’s roads are the responsibility of Medway Council, as highway authority, and Aylesford’s roads are the responsibility of Kent County Council, as highway authority.</p><p>The funding provided by the Department for Transport for highway maintenance, including pothole repair, to Medway Council and Kent County Council since 2015 is shown in the table below. The table highlights the Department for Transport allocated Medway Council an additional £1.1m and Kent County Council an additional £12m funding in the 2018/19 financial year to support local highways maintenance services, including the repair of roads.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Funding Stream </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Funding £m </strong> <strong>Medway</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Kent</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>Highways Maintenance Block</p></td><td><p>2.54</p></td><td><p>27.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>Highways Maintenance Block (including Incentive Element)</p></td><td><p>2.47</p></td><td><p>26.38</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>Pothole Action Fund</p></td><td><p>0.13</p></td><td><p>1.47</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>Highways Maintenance Block (including Incentive Element)</p></td><td><p>2.45</p></td><td><p>26.35</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>Pothole Action Fund</p></td><td><p>0.34</p></td><td><p>3.72</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>Flood Resilience Fund</p></td><td><p>0.13</p></td><td><p>3.72</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>Highways Maintenance Block (including Incentive Element)</p></td><td><p>2.47</p></td><td><p>25.55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>Pothole Action Fund</p></td><td><p>0.14</p></td><td><p>1.56</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>Budget £420 million</p></td><td><p>1.12</p></td><td><p>12.09</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>Highways Maintenance Block (including Incentive Element)</p></td><td><p>2.47</p></td><td><p>26.52</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>Pothole Action Fund</p></td><td><p>0.07</p></td><td><p>0.79</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>Flood Resilience Fund</p></td><td><p>0.07</p></td><td><p>0.79</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>14.40</p></td><td><p>156.21</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em> </em></p><p>The Department funds local highway maintenance in England, outside of London, through Highway Maintenance Block Funding (HMBF), worth about a £1 billion a year.</p><p> </p><ul><li>HMBF is paid through a formula based on the assets a local authority is responsible for such as: length of road network; number of bridges and; the number of street lighting columns</li><li>From 2015 – 2021 the Department is providing £6.6 billion for local highway maintenance in England, outside of London.</li><li>In the October Budget, the Chancellor announced he was providing an additional £420 million for local highway maintenance, in England.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 10/06/2019 12:10:31 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1128272

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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	Livestock: Antimicrobials
	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 effectiveness of a preventative approach to animal health in combating antimicrobial resistance; and whether it is his policy that reducing the effect of that resistance is a key public good.
	tabling member constituency	North Cornwall
	tabling member printed	Scott Mann
	uin	257534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the need to use antibiotics through infection prevention and control in human and animal health is one of a number of cores principles in the UK’s 5 Year National AMR Action Plan and 20 Year Vision. Our Action Plan recognises antimicrobial resistance as a global public good. This is reflected in the high priority the UK gives to addressing the problem of AMR. Since 2014, the sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals in the UK have dropped by 40%. And in the Action Plan, the government has committed to working with vets and farmers to further reduce antibiotic use in animals by 25% between 2016 and 2020, with objectives to be refreshed by 2021.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 10/06/2019 16:56:41 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann

1128273

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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	Agriculture
	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 support the agricultural sector after the UK leaves the EU; and whether he plans to introduce a distinct and internationally recognised UK standard for agricultural goods based on a high level of animal health and welfare.
	tabling member constituency	North Cornwall
	tabling member printed	Scott Mann
	uin	257535
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s plans for agriculture and for supporting the sector as the UK leaves the European Union are underpinned by the Agriculture Bill. The Bill is a central part of the Government’s programme of legislation to deliver as smooth a departure as possible and achieve a green Brexit. At the heart of our new policy in England will be a system that pays public money for public goods. Our future agriculture policy will help farmers continue to provide a supply of healthy, home-grown produce made to high environmental and animal welfare standards.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to putting in place a Gold Standard of metrics which will provide a framework of sustainability metrics, establishing a common vocabulary for environmental and animal welfare measurements in food and farming that can be used across public and private sectors.</p><p> </p><p>We already have some of the highest welfare standards in the world, as well as a number of voluntary labelling schemes which provide assurances as to the welfare of the animals, both of which ensure consumers are not misled by the labelling of products that contain meat or dairy products. Once we leave the EU, we will review food labelling to ensure that we have a framework that meets the needs of UK consumers and producers. Labelling for welfare outcomes is one area that the review will cover.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 10/06/2019 16:58:59 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann