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1240852

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government: Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of commercial property investments made by local authorities in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework (the Framework) which is designed to ensure that the capital plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks, including from commercial investment activity. Government does not routinely undertake any assessment of the effectiveness of local decisions to borrow and invest; local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their best value duty. However, councils have to appropriately comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and to publish an investment strategy.</p><p>Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, rather than for providing the functions of a council. We are clear that borrowing to invest for yield is not in keeping with the intent of the Framework and exposes councils and taxpayers to undue financial risk. We have already tightened our statutory guidance on investments to improve decision making, and we are now carefully considering the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on local authority investment in commercial property (July 2020) and what further interventions are needed.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 99596 question first answered 14/10/2020 13:21:12 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240853

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government: Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the borrowing undertaken by local authorities to fund investments in commercial property.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework (the Framework) which is designed to ensure that the capital plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks, including from commercial investment activity. Government does not routinely undertake any assessment of the effectiveness of local decisions to borrow and invest; local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their best value duty. However, councils have to appropriately comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and to publish an investment strategy.</p><p>Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, rather than for providing the functions of a council. We are clear that borrowing to invest for yield is not in keeping with the intent of the Framework and exposes councils and taxpayers to undue financial risk. We have already tightened our statutory guidance on investments to improve decision making, and we are now carefully considering the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on local authority investment in commercial property (July 2020) and what further interventions are needed.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 99595 question first answered 14/10/2020 13:21:12 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1239983

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Food: Wholesale Trade
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to extend business rates relief to food and drink wholesalers in response to a Federation of Wholesale Distributors survey which found that 58 per cent of respondents who supply public services such as schools, hospitals and care homes said that these contracts were at real risk of collapse without further Government support.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	98700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided enhanced support through business rates relief to eligible businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure. Business rates are devolved in Wales, and so are a matter for the Welsh Government.</p><p> </p><p>A range of other measures to support all business, including wholesalers, have also been made available. On 8 July the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support jobs across the UK, including a Job Retention Bonus to help firms keep furloughed workers. On 24 September the Chancellor went further and announced the Job Support Scheme to provide further support for jobs.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 98720 question first answered 12/10/2020 16:44:59 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1239981

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Wholesale Trade: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors survey which found that wholesalers have seen between a 40 per cent and 70 per cent reduction in sales volume for 2020 compared with 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	98698
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses to protect, as much as possible, against the current economic emergency. Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of these support schemes, with the most relevant likely to include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment;</li><li>£10,000 cash grants for all business properties in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief and Rural Rates Relief;</li><li>The Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, with no interest payments or fees for the first 12 months.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Food and drink wholesalers have also benefited from the recent Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which provided over 100 million half price meals during August and helped to protect the livelihoods of the 1.8 million people working in the hospitality sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay grouped question UIN 98699 98701 98719 question first answered 12/10/2020 11:00:37 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1239982

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Food: Wholesale Trade
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of a Federation of Wholesale Distributors survey that without business rates relief in the next month 65 per cent of food and drink wholesalers surveyed will be either very likely, likely or somewhat likely to make redundancies.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	98699
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses to protect, as much as possible, against the current economic emergency. Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of these support schemes, with the most relevant likely to include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment;</li><li>£10,000 cash grants for all business properties in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief and Rural Rates Relief;</li><li>The Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, with no interest payments or fees for the first 12 months.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Food and drink wholesalers have also benefited from the recent Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which provided over 100 million half price meals during August and helped to protect the livelihoods of the 1.8 million people working in the hospitality sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay grouped question UIN 98698 98701 98719 question first answered 12/10/2020 11:00:37 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1239984

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Food: Wholesale Trade
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of a recent Federation of Wholesale Distributor’s survey which found that (a) 90 per cent of food and drink wholesalers surveyed are highly likely to make redundancies by the end of the year because of a 50 per cent to 70 per cent reduction in sales, (b) millions of pounds worth of stock not sold due to a loss in customers is close-to or has passed its best before date and (c) almost 60 per cent of wholesalers, which supply to critical public sector infrastructure such as schools, care homes and hospitals are at risk of collapse by the end of the year without urgent financial support; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	98701
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses to protect, as much as possible, against the current economic emergency. Food and drink wholesalers are eligible for a number of these support schemes, with the most relevant likely to include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep millions of people in employment;</li><li>£10,000 cash grants for all business properties in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief and Rural Rates Relief;</li><li>The Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, with no interest payments or fees for the first 12 months.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Food and drink wholesalers have also benefited from the recent Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which provided over 100 million half price meals during August and helped to protect the livelihoods of the 1.8 million people working in the hospitality sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay grouped question UIN 98698 98699 98719 question first answered 12/10/2020 11:00:37 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1399160

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she or her officials have met with telecommunications companies to discuss changes to the Electronic Communications Code.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	96849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2022 answer text <p>My department’s response to the consultation on changes to the Electronic Communications Code was published on 24 November 2021.</p><p>Following publication of that document my officials have met with a number of stakeholders, including telecommunications companies and representatives of the site provider community, including those supported by the Protect and Connect Campaign. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as necessary during the passage of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 96850 question first answered 07/01/2022 10:29:22 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1399161

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she or her officials have met with representatives of the Protect and Connect campaign to discuss changes to the Electronic Communications Code.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	96850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2022 answer text <p>My department’s response to the consultation on changes to the Electronic Communications Code was published on 24 November 2021.</p><p>Following publication of that document my officials have met with a number of stakeholders, including telecommunications companies and representatives of the site provider community, including those supported by the Protect and Connect Campaign. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as necessary during the passage of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 96849 question first answered 07/01/2022 10:29:22 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1545713

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2022
	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	Iran: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the Government is undertaking (a) within in the UN Security Council and (b) bilaterally to help (i) halt human right abuses against children in Iran and (ii) hold perpetrators accountable.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	96598
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2022 answer text <p>The UN should also use all its power to demand the immediate release of hundreds of children detained during protests in Iran in recent weeks when it holds an urgent special session later this week. According to some estimates, more than 63 children are reported to have been killed, and between 500-1,000 children believed to be among the more than 18,000 people detained, some threatened with execution. On 24 November the Human Rights Council voted in favour of a resolution condemning Iran's brutal crackdown on protestors and launching a fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 96599 question first answered 05/12/2022 16:44:44 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1387681

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2021
	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	Supported Housing: Older People
	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 has plans to review planning guidance to local authorities to help expand provision of (a) housing-with-care and (b) integrated retirement communities for older people in the context of the Government's adult social care reform white paper.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	92887
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2021 answer text <p>Both this department and the Department of Health and Social Care are committed to further improving the diversity of housing options available to older people. We believe that offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently and feel more connected to their communities. <br> <br> Boosting the supply of a range of specialist housing for older people will be key to achieving this aim. We already work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide capital funding to incentivise their supply. <br> <br> As set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent white paper, <em>People at the Heart of Care</em> , a new £300 million investment will embed the strategic commitment to connect housing with health and care in all local places and drive the stock of new supported housing</p><p><br> Our National Planning Policy Framework already states that local authorities should assess the types of specialist housing needed for older people in their areas, and this should be reflected in their local planning policies.  <br> <br> We will continue to work closely with colleagues across government and with a range of stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people’s housing sector. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including proposals from the sector for a cross-Government taskforce.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 92888 92889 question first answered 20/12/2021 17:52:48 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman