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1460610

registered interest
date	28/04/2022
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	Food Supply
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 he is taking to tackle food insecurity in the context of increases in the cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	906650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>The UK has a high degree of food security. Last year, we published the Food Security Report which includes a section on food security at a household level. The latest statistics point to an increase in household food security between 2019 and 2020. There are undoubtedly going to be pressures on food prices as a result of increased input costs – including gas, fuel and fertiliser. That will have to be passed through the system, but the Government is providing an additional £500 million to help provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 906655 question first answered 28/04/2022 11:03:26 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1457351

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to increase the Tax Free Child Care cap in response to the rising cost of childcare.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to increase the cap in Tax Free Childcare.</p><p> </p><p>Tax Free Childcare (TFC) is a generous scheme which provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the Government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, all three- and four-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, regardless of circumstance. Eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds can also access an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week, also known as 30 hours free childcare. Moreover, Universal Credit (UC) claimants are able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 25/04/2022 13:22:17 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1457445

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
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	Conversion Therapy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what data her Department holds on the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals who have undergone conversion therapy in (a) the UK, (b) Manchester and (c) Manchester Gorton constituency since 2018.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>The most recent data currently available about the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals who have undergone conversion therapy in the UK is from the National LGBT Survey, published in 2018. Evidence from that shows that 5% of the over 108,000 respondents said they had been offered conversion therapy, and a further 2% said they had received it. This data is not available at a local or constituency level.</p><p>In October 2021, we published an evidence assessment and qualitative study on conversion therapy undertaken by Coventry University.</p><p>The Government’s recent public consultation on how to ban conversion therapy included a question about people’s experiences of conversion therapy in the UK and abroad and we are currently analysing responses.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 28/04/2022 08:03:27 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1457987

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
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, what steps his Department is taking to help protect victims of domestic abuse when non-molestation orders have been breached and offenders have up to 28 days before being charged.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>Non-molestation orders are civil orders made by the family court to protect victims and their children from the harm of domestic abuse. Breach of an order is a criminal offence. The police take breaches of such protective orders extremely seriously and have the necessary powers to arrest, investigate and commence criminal proceedings. Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the police can hold a suspect in detention for up to 96 hours depending on the seriousness of the case, or up to 14 days under the Terrorism Act, before being charged or can grant pre-charge bail if there are no grounds to keep a suspect in detention while the investigation continues. The police have further powers to remand the suspect in custody once charges are made, for example if there is a risk of further offences being committed by the suspect if released on bail before a court hearing.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government is bringing in reforms to the pre-charge bail regime through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will allow for better protection for victims in all criminal cases, including violent and sexual offences. The reforms include the removal of the perceived presumption against use of pre-charge bail; new risk factors to be considered when making bail decisions; amending the timescales and authorisation levels for pre-charge bail, and a new duty to seek views from victims on bail conditions which relate to their safeguarding.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 25/04/2022 14:10:33 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1457988

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
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, what support his Department providing to victims of domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s ambition to protect and better support victims of domestic abuse, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduces a range of measures to help protect victims of domestic abuse and their children. These include important new protections and support for victims ensuring that abusers will no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and giving victims better access to special measures in the courtroom, such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link. The Act also introduces measures to tackle levels of domestic abuse including new criminal offences such as non-fatal strangulation and suffocation and extending the coercing and controlling behaviour offence to remove the “living together’’ requirement, so that the offence applies to partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together.</p><p> </p><p>Building on the Domestic Abuse Act, we have made substantial commitments in the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published by the Home Office in March 2022, to better support victims of domestic abuse. Commitments include multi-year funding for victim support services which are crucial for helping victims engage in the criminal justice process. As part of this, the Ministry of Justice is bolstering support for victims by increasing its funding from £150.5m in 2021/22 to £185 million by 2024/25. This will ensure support is available to more victims and includes funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisers to over 1,000, and other key services like crisis helplines. A Perpetrator Strategy forms part of the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan and sets out clear commitments to prioritise addressing behaviour, stopping people from becoming perpetrators and victims in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we are also giving victims more time to report domestic abuse-related assaults by extending the time limit for prosecutions to six months from a formal report to the police within an overall limit of two years from the offence. We have also consulted and will publish a draft Bill which will continue to ensure victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 154370 question first answered 25/04/2022 17:08:55 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1457989

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
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 tackle levels of domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	154370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s ambition to protect and better support victims of domestic abuse, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduces a range of measures to help protect victims of domestic abuse and their children. These include important new protections and support for victims ensuring that abusers will no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and giving victims better access to special measures in the courtroom, such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link. The Act also introduces measures to tackle levels of domestic abuse including new criminal offences such as non-fatal strangulation and suffocation and extending the coercing and controlling behaviour offence to remove the “living together’’ requirement, so that the offence applies to partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together.</p><p> </p><p>Building on the Domestic Abuse Act, we have made substantial commitments in the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published by the Home Office in March 2022, to better support victims of domestic abuse. Commitments include multi-year funding for victim support services which are crucial for helping victims engage in the criminal justice process. As part of this, the Ministry of Justice is bolstering support for victims by increasing its funding from £150.5m in 2021/22 to £185 million by 2024/25. This will ensure support is available to more victims and includes funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisers to over 1,000, and other key services like crisis helplines. A Perpetrator Strategy forms part of the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan and sets out clear commitments to prioritise addressing behaviour, stopping people from becoming perpetrators and victims in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we are also giving victims more time to report domestic abuse-related assaults by extending the time limit for prosecutions to six months from a formal report to the police within an overall limit of two years from the offence. We have also consulted and will publish a draft Bill which will continue to ensure victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 154369 question first answered 25/04/2022 17:08:55 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1455430

registered interest
date	29/03/2022
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes: Manchester Gorton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local welfare assistance schemes in Manchester Gorton constituency.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	149365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2022 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities have the power to establish local welfare provision in their area, using the funding they receive from the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local Authorities are responsible for determining how best to assess provision of any local welfare support.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise, however, that some people require extra support with meeting essential household costs due to cost of living pressures, which is why the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities are responsible for designing and delivering the Household Support Fund in their area to best meet the needs of local people, in accordance with the overall scheme parameters.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 19/04/2022 14:20:19 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1454786

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to offer a VAT reduction to owners of electric vehicles who charge their cars at public charging points.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	148368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2022 answer text <p>In order to keep costs down for families, the supply of electricity for domestic use, including charging an electric vehicle (EV) at home, attracts the 5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. However, electricity supplied at EV charging points in public places is subject to the standard 20 per cent rate of VAT.</p><p>Expanding the existing relief would come at a cost. VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances, raising around £130 billion in 2019-20, and helps fund the Government's priorities including the NHS, schools, and defence. Any loss in tax revenue would have to be balanced by a reduction in public spending, increased borrowing, or increased taxation elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p>Although there are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of electricity supplied at public EV charge points, the Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles to help the UK meet its net-zero obligations. The Government has committed £3.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, which funds targeted vehicle grants and the rollout of charging infrastructure.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 20/04/2022 09:53:21 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1454787

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
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	Sickle Cell Diseases: Prescriptions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support people with sickle cell disease to access free prescriptions.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	148369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2022 answer text <p>There are no current plans to review or extend the prescription charge medical exemptions list to include long term conditions such as sickle cell disease. Approximately 89% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge and there are arrangements in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension. Those with sickle cell disease may therefore meet the eligibility criteria for prescription charge exemptions and in receipt of free prescriptions.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 20/04/2022 08:58:15 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1454788

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
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	Long Covid: 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 his Department is taking steps to prioritise targeted, lab-based studies to find possible treatments for those suffering from long covid.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	148370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2022 answer text <p>Over £50 million has been invested in research projects into the long term effects of COVID-19, with £38.6 million awarded to 19 projects commissioned through two research calls.</p><p>The National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) second research call specified the need for studies to review possible treatments and interventions and develop a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease. Six of the studies funded through this call are directly examining treatments and therapies.</p><p> </p><p>Further research on the long term effects of COVID-19 and providing support for those affected has been funded through the NIHR’s programme funding streams. These include a £3.5 million award to the HEAL-COVID study to develop treatments for COVID-19 which reduce the long term risks of death and disability.</p><p> </p><p>The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including potential treatments for post-COVID-19 syndrome. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 20/04/2022 08:23:27 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan