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1650505

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2023
	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	Fly-tipping: Hertfordshire
	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 she is taking to improve the management of fly tipping in Hertfordshire.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	192671
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2023 answer text <p>The role of central Government in tackling fly-tipping is to support local action. Across two rounds of our fly-tipping grant scheme, we have now awarded nearly £1.2m to help more than 30 councils purchase equipment to tackle fly-tipping at known hot-spots; recipients include Stevenage Borough Council who received just over £26,000 to install mobile CCTV and signage to deter perpetrators.</p><p> </p><p>The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will support councils to take tougher action against those who fly-tip. This includes a commitment to significantly raise the upper limit on fixed penalty notices this year, to £1,000 for fly-tipping and £600 for people who give their waste to an unauthorised carrier.</p><p> </p><p>Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/07/2023 13:04:57 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1541475

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2022
	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	Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of processing covid-19 vaccine damage payments; and if his Department will publish its target timeframes for the processing these claims.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	84954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2022 answer text <p>The Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority to increase the speed of processing all claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). We have increased administrative and medical assessment capacity and the NHS Business Services Authority has also implemented Subject Access Requests to encourage the timely return of medical records required to carry out medical assessments.</p><p>The average claim takes approximately six months to investigate and process from the date a claimant’s medical records are requested. There are no target timeframes as this can vary from case to case, depending on how quickly medical records are received.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 18/11/2022 12:42:34 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535771

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: EU Law
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK REACH will seek to maintain alignment with EU Chemicals Regulations (EU REACH) beyond 31 December 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71235
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>UK REACH retains the fundamental approach and key principles of EU REACH, ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment. Having our own independent regulatory framework for chemicals allows us to identify the most pressing priorities which best reflect the specific circumstances in GB. The decisions we take are based on the best available evidence, including looking at approaches taken by chemical regimes across the world, including the EU.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 18:13:41 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535772

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: Health Hazards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK authorities routinely monitor all scientific literature for studies that show deleterious effects of hazardous chemicals.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71236
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern to ensure consideration of the potential risks of emerging chemicals including to surface waters (both freshwater and saline waters), groundwater and soils. The EA routinely monitors a sub-set of the scientific literature for determining which chemicals of emerging concern we should focus on as part of this work. The system allows the EA to sift and to screen any chemical substance nominated using, where available, hazard data and environmental monitoring data to prioritise whether a substance may be a possible chemical of concern in England.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 18:34:52 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535773

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: Health Hazards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ensure a cross government approach on chemicals management which involves a commitment to (a) reducing exposure in the general population and (a) acknowledging the links between chemical exposure in the population and increased cancer risk.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71237
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>Our goal is to protect human health and the environment while enabling economic growth through managing the production, use and disposal of chemicals. We already have robust systems to identify the impact of chemicals, and to regulate them. We are currently developing our approach further to build on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to set out our strategy to tackling chemicals of concern and to significantly reduce the levels of harmful chemicals entering the environment. Defra continues to work closely with other government departments, arms-length bodies, and the Devolved Administrations to ensure a joined-up and UK-wide approach.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) plays a key role in protecting against and reducing exposure to chemical and environmental hazards thereby preventing cancer from exposure to chemicals. The primary focus of UKHSA’s work is on hazard characterisation and risk assessment including:</p><ul><li>research into the potential human health effects including carcinogenic properties of fibre and particles, biocides, volatile organic plus other chemicals used in consumer products or present in the environment.</li><li>biomonitoring to determine the overall exposure to man-made and natural chemicals which is essential to evaluate risk.</li><li>advising Defra, the Health and Safety Executive and other Government departments on the human health effects of chemicals in respect of their public health risks.</li></ul> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 18:48:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535775

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: Health Hazards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to introduce hazard-based protection measures for reducing exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals; and if he will amend the classification, labelling and packaging regulations to introduce new hazard classes on endocrine disruptors and suspected endocrine disruptors.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71238
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which have been linked to numerous human health and wildlife impacts, is scientifically complex. There is uncertainty surrounding the effects of EDC exposure from both an environmental and human health perspective, and we are contributing to international efforts to address the evidence gaps. We are considering the evidence available and drawing on a range of expertise with the aim of improving testing and identification of EDCs and assessing measures to further understand and manage the risks they pose.</p><p> </p><p>The identification of intrinsic chemical hazards is a principal requirement of the classification, labelling and packaging regulation (CLP). The hazard classes in CLP cover physical, human health and environmental hazards. Endocrine disrupting properties are not captured by a specific CLP hazard class because they are a result of a mode of action rather than an intrinsic hazardous property. However, chemicals with human health endocrine disrupting properties are effectively covered in CLP by the closely related CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic to reproduction) hazard classes.</p><p> </p><p>The hazard classification of a chemical is often used as a starting point for specific controls or protective measures and is the basis for many regulatory and legislative provisions in the risk management of chemicals. Endocrine disrupting properties are specifically taken into account by the regulatory regimes covering the use of pesticides and biocides, where identification of such properties prompts specific control measures.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 18:43:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535777

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: EU Law
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to (a) preserve, (b) extend the sunset date to 2026, (c) revoke or (d) replace the majority of retained EU law relating to the regulation of chemicals.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71239
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government is in the process of analysing all retained EU law. This analysis will enable us to determine what should be preserved as part of domestic law and what should be repealed or amended.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 08/11/2022 17:10:38 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1535780

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	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	Chemicals: Health Hazards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in context of the UK Health Security Agency participation in the Partnership for the Risk Assessment of Chemicals, what planned activities the agency has as a participating organisation; and whether the agency plans to conduct human biomonitoring to monitor exposure within the UK population to harmful chemicals, including hormone disrupting chemicals.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	71240
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency and United Kingdom participants are involved in all aspects of the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals, including the assessment of human exposures to environmental pollutants and environmental monitoring of chemicals of concern. The Partnership is currently determining its priorities which will be published online in due course.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 02/11/2022 11:07:02 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1503551

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Bank Services: Rural Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take through the Financial Markets and Services Bill to protect access to in-person banking services for rural communities such as Harpenden.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	45249
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, the Government has introduced legislation to protect access to cash. The Bill protects access to cash by establishing the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator and providing it with appropriate powers to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly against the background of changing technology, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial decision for banks and building societies. However, the Government recognises that in-person access to banking services continues to be important for some customers. FCA Guidance is clear that firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>For consumers and SMEs wishing to access over-the-counter services, the Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to carry out their everyday banking at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Firms are also working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services including Bank Hubs. The Government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting facilities for local communities across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 21/09/2022 13:27:25 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami

1503552

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Police: Hertfordshire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the number of police officers in Hertfordshire.
	tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
	tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
	uin	45253
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>We are recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by March 2023, the biggest recruitment drive in decades.</p><p>As at 30 June 2022, Hertfordshire police has recruited 190 additional uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 304 officers.</p><p> </p><p>As a result of their hard work and commitment police forces in England and Wales have recruited 13,790 additional officers, as at 30 June 2022, 69% of the 20,000 officer target.</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 20/09/2022 15:20:35 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
	tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami