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1712596

	registered interest
	date	16/04/2024
	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	Planning Permission: Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to encourage property developers to incorporate net zero measures in planning applications.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	902414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>I refer the Honourable Member to paragraph 157 of the National Planning Policy Framework.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 22/04/2024 16:31:34 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1700418

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Ukraine: Military Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to make a financial contribution to the Czech Republic scheme for the purchasing of artillery shells for Ukraine.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	21305
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK remains fully engaged with the international capability coalitions and numerous other partners to understand where further opportunities may exist to increase our support to Ukraine. To date the UK has provided over 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine, and has committed to delivering 100s of thousands more this financial year, and a further investment of £245 million on artillery ammunition in 2024-25.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty grouped question UIN 21306 question first answered 22/04/2024 12:32:16 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1700419

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Ukraine: Military Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has participated in formal discussions with the Czech Republic on supporting its procurement of artillery shells for Ukraine.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	21306
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK remains fully engaged with the international capability coalitions and numerous other partners to understand where further opportunities may exist to increase our support to Ukraine. To date the UK has provided over 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine, and has committed to delivering 100s of thousands more this financial year, and a further investment of £245 million on artillery ammunition in 2024-25.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty grouped question UIN 21305 question first answered 22/04/2024 12:32:16 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1700420

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	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	Ukraine: Military Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Czech counterpart on the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	21307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has discussed with his Czech counterpart how we can assist with their scheme. The UK will spend £245 million throughout the next year to procure and invigorate supply chains to produce urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine.</p><p>We continue to engage in intensive bilateral and multilateral lobbying efforts to ensure Ukraine gets the military support it needs, leveraging the additional support we have announced this year to secure new commitments.</p> answering member constituency Wealden answering member printed Ms Nusrat Ghani question first answered 23/04/2024 16:07:49 answering member 4460 label Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1698553

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Graduates: Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the graduate visa route on (a) the financial sustainability of the university sector and (b) local economies.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	20405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to provide further evidence to support the government’s understanding of how the Graduate Route is operating in practice. The focus of the Graduate Route review will be to prevent abuse and ensure the integrity and quality of our world-leading UK higher education (HE) sector is protected. No decisions have been made on the future of the Graduate Route and the department awaits the report of the MAC in May.</p><p>​</p><p>​The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sustainability of HE providers. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of international student recruitment on HE provider financial sustainability.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 17/04/2024 11:43:07 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1698554

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Postgraduate Education: Overseas Students
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decline in international postgraduate student numbers on the UK’s economy.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	20406
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>International students make a significant positive contribution to the British economy. According to a study by HEPI and Kaplan, the lifetime net economic benefit of the 21/22 cohort of international students was £37bn with each student making a net contribution of nearly £100,000 on average.</p><p> </p><p>The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) make a net migration forecast to underpin their economic and fiscal forecasts, which reflects the latest data and migration policy. At Spring Budget, the OBR assessed migration to fall more sharply than the ONS net migration projections in the short-term before it reaches 315,000 at the end of the forecast period. Rising emigration and effect of policy explain their adjustment.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 17/04/2024 12:59:36 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1698087

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Women's Aid: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to provide funding to Women's Aid in the next three financial years.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	20103
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. Our strategies aim to transform the whole of society’s response to these crimes with actions to prevent abuse, support victims and ensure more perpetrators are bought to justice.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office has provided funding to Women’s Aid of up to £1.34m until March 2025 to deliver the Flexible Fund. This fund will help hundreds of domestic abuse victims next year who will receive lifeline payments to help escape tormenting and often life-threatening abuse, providing the chance to rebuild their lives. We are also investing £753k into Women’s Aid next year to improve the awareness of domestic abuse amongst young people.</p><p> </p><p>Funding beyond March 2025 is subject to future budgets which will be set through the next Spending Review process.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 03/04/2024 08:50:27 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1697162

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Graduates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK Visa and Immigration is meeting the eight-week service standard for processing graduate visas.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	19517
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>We are operating within the eight-week service standard for Graduate applications.</p><p>Some applications may take longer if we have requested further information, or if their personal circumstances are complex. Further details can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-processing-times-applications-inside-the-uk#when-you-might-wait-longer" target="_blank">Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 27/03/2024 15:52:12 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1696865

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2024
	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	Peru: Forests
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on the potential impact of that country's Forestry Law on (a) deforestation and (b) human rights.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	19165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>I [Minister Rutley] visited Peru in October 2023 and held discussions with senior representatives of the Peruvian Government on a range of priorities, such as the importance of protecting human rights and the environment. We are working with the Peruvian Government to drive sustainable development that protects human rights and delivers climate objectives. Our Embassy in Lima has regularly discussed with the Peruvian Government the potential impacts of changes to the Forestry and Wildlife Law and raised concerns about how these could affect achievement of Peru's international commitments.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/03/2024 16:17:48 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1695875

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2024
	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	Shingles: Vaccination
	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 her Department's decision to exclude people aged between 66 and 69 on 1 September 2023 who do not have a severely weakened immune system in the phased roll-out of the shingles vaccination on those people.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	18597
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2024 answer text <p>An assessment on the potential impact of not providing the vaccine to people aged 66 to 69 years old is not required, as they remain eligible to receive a shingles vaccination when they turn 70 years old, as they would have done prior to 1 September 2023.</p><p>The current policy offers the shingles vaccine Shingrix to anyone who turned 65 or 70 years old on or after 1 September 2023, and to anyone aged 50 years old and over who is at higher risk of serious complications as a result of having a severely weakened immune system.</p><p>This approach has been used in the effective implementation of previous immunisation programmes. Whilst some individuals may have to wait until they are eligible, the population benefit of adopting this approach is greater, meaning many individuals will receive the vaccine sooner and will benefit for longer.</p><p>The approach is modelled on the first shingles programme, optimizing achievements within the resources and capacity of the National Health Service, while being delivered alongside other important healthcare priorities, and avoiding undue additional pressure on NHS delivery services.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 20/03/2024 15:08:00 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1695458

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	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	Hospitals: Construction
	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 approved the business case costings for the New Hospital Programme.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	18276
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>On 25 May 2023, the Government announced that the New Hospital Programme (NHP) is expected to represent over £20 billion of capital investment for the financial year 2030/31, and that there would be a rolling programme of investment in health infrastructure in the longer term. Future spending beyond this current spending review period will be subject to the usual spending review processes.</p><p>The NHP has developed a third version of its Programme Business Case (PBC) which includes costs for the programme’s future spend. This was approved by the Department’s Joint Investment Committee on 19 February 2024. Following this approval, the PBC will go through Government assurance processes in May 2024.</p><p> </p><p>Future spend will be confirmed through the usual processes of future spending reviews, and all funding allocations for specific schemes within the NHP will only be confirmed once the individual Full Business Cases have been reviewed and agreed by ministers.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 18/03/2024 15:18:09 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1695460

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
	answering dept id	215
	answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
	answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
	hansard heading	Firewood: Imports
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the average annual tonnage of wood imported for burning in (a) industrial and (b) domestic settings; which (i) countries and (ii) sites in those countries that wood is imported from; and how many tonnes on average comes from each of those countries each year.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	18277
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2024 answer text <p>Figures on the amount of imported wood and waste wood by country is published in The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F64c1327990b54500143e83c7%2FDUKES_6.6.xlsx&amp;data=05%7C02%7CParliamentary.PQ%40energysecurity.gov.uk%7Ce65e4e64590a4ca77dc208dc475963ee%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C638463696460932923%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vpRzDKAlOn%2BEbWkV136Ziw%2BkTc%2BfqMCv9xydMWSPFxU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Table 6.6</a>, but information on sites is not collected. Imports of waste wood are used in the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors and all imports of wood are burnt in the domestic sector; of the 2,319 thousand tonnes of wood consumed in the domestic sector in 2022, 198 thousand tonnes were imported.</p> answering member constituency West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine answering member printed Andrew Bowie grouped question UIN 18278 question first answered 19/03/2024 06:20:27 answering member 4601 label Biography information for Andrew Bowie
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1695462

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
	answering dept id	215
	answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
	answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
	hansard heading	Firewood: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the average annual tonnage of wood burnt in homes in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	18278
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2024 answer text <p>Figures on the amount of imported wood and waste wood by country is published in The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F64c1327990b54500143e83c7%2FDUKES_6.6.xlsx&amp;data=05%7C02%7CParliamentary.PQ%40energysecurity.gov.uk%7Ce65e4e64590a4ca77dc208dc475963ee%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C638463696460932923%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vpRzDKAlOn%2BEbWkV136Ziw%2BkTc%2BfqMCv9xydMWSPFxU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Table 6.6</a>, but information on sites is not collected. Imports of waste wood are used in the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors and all imports of wood are burnt in the domestic sector; of the 2,319 thousand tonnes of wood consumed in the domestic sector in 2022, 198 thousand tonnes were imported.</p> answering member constituency West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine answering member printed Andrew Bowie grouped question UIN 18277 question first answered 19/03/2024 06:20:27 answering member 4601 label Biography information for Andrew Bowie
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1695465

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2024
	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	Timber: Imports
	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 (a) supply chain, (b) labelling and (c) other processes and requirements are in place to ensure that imported wood comes from a sustainable forestry scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	18280
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>The United Kingdom Timber Regulations (UKTR) prohibit the placing of illegally harvested timber on the market. Under the Withdrawal Act, UKTR applies to GB. Businesses must exercise due diligence on timber imports to demonstrate legality of harvest.</p><p> </p><p>The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulations and associated Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA), aim to improve the supply of verified legal timber to the UK market. Producer countries who have agreed a VPA with the UK and can demonstrate effective nationwide controls verifying legality of harvest, can issue FLEGT licences.</p><p> </p><p>Under the UK Government Timber Procurement Policy, all timber products procured for use on the Government estate must meet accepted standards of legality and sustainability.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 18/03/2024 16:12:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1694955

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Home Office: Training
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials in his Department with responsibility for engaging with hon. Members are given training on the types of visas that are available.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	17926
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2024 answer text <p>Officials responsible for engaging with Hon. Members are required to complete an initial 12-week training programme, which includes training on the visa routes available.</p><p>Following the initial training programme, officials are subject to assurance checks on all their work until they are assessed to meet the required quality standard.</p><p>Ongoing development ensures that officials keep their understanding of immigration routes up to date.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 19/03/2024 14:47:09 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1694671

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2024
	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, how the Food Security Index will be measured; and whether it will include nature-friendly farming practices.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	17700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The first draft of the new annual Food Security Index will be published at the Farm to Fork Summit this spring. We are in the process of developing the content of the index. We expect it will include a selection of indicators giving an assessment of food security across the five themes identified in the UK Food Security Report, including domestic food supply. Productive, resilient and environmentally sustainable domestic food production is a key element of our food security.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/03/2024 14:39:17 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1694676

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2024
	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	Export Controls: Sanctions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Export Control Joint Unit reviews urgent trade sanctions license applications in a timely manner.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	17705
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>In making decisions on whether to grant a licence to permit something otherwise prohibited by sanctions legislation &amp; regulations, the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), comprised of subject matter experts and officials in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office and the Ministry of Defence, acts on behalf of the Secretary of State. ECJU is obligated to consider applications on a case-by-case basis, determining whether granting a licence would be consistent with the stated purposes of the sanctions regime, licensing grounds, and United Nations or international law obligations. When assessing applications ECJU also consults and considers views from a range of other government departments.</p> answering member constituency Wealden answering member printed Ms Nusrat Ghani question first answered 14/03/2024 16:03:54 answering member 4460 label Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1696024

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2024
	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	Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023
	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 his planned timetable is for consulting on activity regulations to be introduced under the Animals (Low-Welfare Abroad) Act 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	901990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>Future decisions on which animal activities will fall in scope of the legislation will need to be evidence-based and subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to ensure progress as soon as is practicable<em>.</em> Additionally, we are supporting several Private Members’ Bills to deliver on animal welfare measures in the Kept Animals Bill, and I will be in the chamber tomorrow to listen to the proposals put forward by my Right Honourable Friend the member for North Devon.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 14/03/2024 16:50:31 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1692200

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason his Department has reduced the amount of support given to people living in asylum accommodation which provides all their meals to £8.86 per week.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	16021
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2024 answer text <p>The level of the allowance given to those supported under section 95 and section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is reviewed each year to ensure it covers an asylum seeker’s essential living needs.</p><p>In setting the rates, we have utilised an alternative methodology to determine the costs of essential needs, which uses a ‘disaggregated CPI’ (Consumer Prices Index). The methodology has been designed to offer a more accurate measure of changes in the price of items to cover essential living needs. As previous rate increases have been made using CPI rates, this has led to an overestimate of the cost of essential needs for an individual in catered accommodation, therefore, using the methodology set out above, the catered rates have been slightly reduced.</p><p>Individuals accommodated in hotels and other catered sites are also provided 3 meals a day, snacks, water, toiletries, and some other services, in addition to their weekly allowance. Additional support is also available to pregnant women, young children, and individuals who provide evidence of exceptional needs.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 06/03/2024 12:47:26 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1690571

	registered interest
	date	20/02/2024
	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	Rural England Prosperity Fund
	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 her Department plans to extend the funding period for the Rural England Prosperity Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	15001
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to helping rural businesses prosper. The Rural England Prosperity Fund is a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, providing allocations for eligible local authorities in England to help address the additional needs and challenges facing rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, the fund will provide up to £110 million in funding to eligible local authorities between April 2023 and March 2025.</p><p> </p><p>To date the fund is providing capital funding to support new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy.</p><p> </p><p>This includes small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas to create leisure and tourism facilities, the capital funding of net zero infrastructures for rural business, and the diversification of farm businesses outside of agriculture to encourage start up, expansion or scale up of these businesses where this involves converting farm buildings into other commercial or business uses.</p><p> </p><p>The Government intends to monitor and evaluate the impact of the fund, with any decision on additional funding a matter for a future Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 26/02/2024 13:18:23 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1690114

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Burglary
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional resources to Police and Crime Commissioners to help tackle (a) the use of blowtorches in and (b) other methods of home burglaries.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14723
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>The Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows a 56% fall in domestic burglaries when comparing the year ending September 2023 with year ending March 2010. This is clearly good news; however, we recognise the impact domestic burglary can have on individuals and communities and we are committed to tackling and preventing this crime.</p><p>The public rightly expects that the police will visit them when a home burglary has been committed, which is why we welcome the announcement made by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on 8 June that all 43 police forces in England and Wales have been implementing this attendance policy since March 2023. We are working with police leaders to ensure forces are making their attendance data available to the public. <a href="https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglary" target="_blank">https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglary</a>.</p><p>The police attendance commitment, along with the commitment to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry, is supported by College of Policing guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations: <a href="https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary" target="_blank">https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary</a>. This sets out the importance of the police accurately identifying the point and method of entry to a victim’s property. Forces will share this information with Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), which works with manufacturers, the construction industry and standards authorities to ensure security standards keep pace with emerging crime trends. <a href="https://www.policecpi.com/about-us" target="_blank">https://www.policecpi.com/about-us</a>.</p><p>We are putting in place record funding for the police in England and Wales with up to £18.4bn in 2024/25, and funding for Police and Crime Commissioners is increasing by up to £922 million in 2024/25.</p><p>The Home Office has not made a specific assessment of the use of blowtorches to gain access to properties.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 14724 question first answered 27/02/2024 15:27:30 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1690115

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Burglary
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an estimate of changes in the level of home burglaries using blowtorches to gain access to properties.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14724
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>The Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows a 56% fall in domestic burglaries when comparing the year ending September 2023 with year ending March 2010. This is clearly good news; however, we recognise the impact domestic burglary can have on individuals and communities and we are committed to tackling and preventing this crime.</p><p>The public rightly expects that the police will visit them when a home burglary has been committed, which is why we welcome the announcement made by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on 8 June that all 43 police forces in England and Wales have been implementing this attendance policy since March 2023. We are working with police leaders to ensure forces are making their attendance data available to the public. <a href="https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglary" target="_blank">https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglary</a>.</p><p>The police attendance commitment, along with the commitment to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry, is supported by College of Policing guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations: <a href="https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary" target="_blank">https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary</a>. This sets out the importance of the police accurately identifying the point and method of entry to a victim’s property. Forces will share this information with Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), which works with manufacturers, the construction industry and standards authorities to ensure security standards keep pace with emerging crime trends. <a href="https://www.policecpi.com/about-us" target="_blank">https://www.policecpi.com/about-us</a>.</p><p>We are putting in place record funding for the police in England and Wales with up to £18.4bn in 2024/25, and funding for Police and Crime Commissioners is increasing by up to £922 million in 2024/25.</p><p>The Home Office has not made a specific assessment of the use of blowtorches to gain access to properties.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 14723 question first answered 27/02/2024 15:27:30 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1689363

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	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	Film and Television: Government Assistance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to support the television and film industry in the context of its recovery from a period of production downturn.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government has set out a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030. That includes supporting the growth of the television and film industry.</p><p>Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, including expanded relief for film and high-end television. Our screen sector tax relief is estimated to be worth more than £13 billion in GVA to the UK economy.</p><p>We have taken a number of additional steps to ensure that British film and television companies are able to invest in production, expand their businesses and offer opportunities for cast and crew across the UK, in spite of production disruption resulting from the pandemic and the recent strike action in the US.</p><p>This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas. To build on this, and support the industry to not only survive but thrive, further government actions have been taken. This includes our support for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, which has helped drive a near doubling of UK studio capacity, and the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content. The sector also benefits from the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high-end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021-22 provided £792 million of support for over 1000 projects.</p><p>We recognise the impact of the US strikes and cost of living crisis on the film and TV workforce. HMRC has a ‘Time to Pay’ policy which may provide some support to affected cast and crew. This policy allows individuals experiencing temporary financial difficulty to schedule their tax debts into affordable, sustainable, and tailored instalment arrangements with no maximum repayment period. These arrangements can be applied to any tax debt and are flexible, so they can be amended if circumstances change.</p><p>In the Creative Industries Sector Vision, the Government set out an ambition to improve the job quality and working practice of the sector, including supporting the high proportion of freelancers in the sector. This includes promoting fair treatment and working practices, enhancing support networks and resources for creative freelancers through Creative UK's Redesigning Freelancing initiative. DCMS and industry will also continue to work together to produce an action plan in response to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s Good Work Review, and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen. The government will continue to work with the BFI and the newly established screen sector Skills Task Force to support a strong skills pipeline in the sector and attractive careers pathways into the industry.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 14263 14264 14265 question first answered 26/02/2024 09:28:54 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1689364

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	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	Film and Television: Government Assistance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the impact of the period of production downturn on the television and film industry in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14263
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government has set out a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030. That includes supporting the growth of the television and film industry.</p><p>Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, including expanded relief for film and high-end television. Our screen sector tax relief is estimated to be worth more than £13 billion in GVA to the UK economy.</p><p>We have taken a number of additional steps to ensure that British film and television companies are able to invest in production, expand their businesses and offer opportunities for cast and crew across the UK, in spite of production disruption resulting from the pandemic and the recent strike action in the US.</p><p>This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas. To build on this, and support the industry to not only survive but thrive, further government actions have been taken. This includes our support for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, which has helped drive a near doubling of UK studio capacity, and the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content. The sector also benefits from the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high-end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021-22 provided £792 million of support for over 1000 projects.</p><p>We recognise the impact of the US strikes and cost of living crisis on the film and TV workforce. HMRC has a ‘Time to Pay’ policy which may provide some support to affected cast and crew. This policy allows individuals experiencing temporary financial difficulty to schedule their tax debts into affordable, sustainable, and tailored instalment arrangements with no maximum repayment period. These arrangements can be applied to any tax debt and are flexible, so they can be amended if circumstances change.</p><p>In the Creative Industries Sector Vision, the Government set out an ambition to improve the job quality and working practice of the sector, including supporting the high proportion of freelancers in the sector. This includes promoting fair treatment and working practices, enhancing support networks and resources for creative freelancers through Creative UK's Redesigning Freelancing initiative. DCMS and industry will also continue to work together to produce an action plan in response to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s Good Work Review, and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen. The government will continue to work with the BFI and the newly established screen sector Skills Task Force to support a strong skills pipeline in the sector and attractive careers pathways into the industry.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 14262 14264 14265 question first answered 26/02/2024 09:28:54 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1689365

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	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	Film and Television: Self-employed
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering financial support to freelance employees within the television and film industry during the period of production downturn.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14264
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government has set out a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030. That includes supporting the growth of the television and film industry.</p><p>Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, including expanded relief for film and high-end television. Our screen sector tax relief is estimated to be worth more than £13 billion in GVA to the UK economy.</p><p>We have taken a number of additional steps to ensure that British film and television companies are able to invest in production, expand their businesses and offer opportunities for cast and crew across the UK, in spite of production disruption resulting from the pandemic and the recent strike action in the US.</p><p>This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas. To build on this, and support the industry to not only survive but thrive, further government actions have been taken. This includes our support for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, which has helped drive a near doubling of UK studio capacity, and the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content. The sector also benefits from the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high-end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021-22 provided £792 million of support for over 1000 projects.</p><p>We recognise the impact of the US strikes and cost of living crisis on the film and TV workforce. HMRC has a ‘Time to Pay’ policy which may provide some support to affected cast and crew. This policy allows individuals experiencing temporary financial difficulty to schedule their tax debts into affordable, sustainable, and tailored instalment arrangements with no maximum repayment period. These arrangements can be applied to any tax debt and are flexible, so they can be amended if circumstances change.</p><p>In the Creative Industries Sector Vision, the Government set out an ambition to improve the job quality and working practice of the sector, including supporting the high proportion of freelancers in the sector. This includes promoting fair treatment and working practices, enhancing support networks and resources for creative freelancers through Creative UK's Redesigning Freelancing initiative. DCMS and industry will also continue to work together to produce an action plan in response to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s Good Work Review, and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen. The government will continue to work with the BFI and the newly established screen sector Skills Task Force to support a strong skills pipeline in the sector and attractive careers pathways into the industry.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 14262 14263 14265 question first answered 26/02/2024 09:28:54 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel