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1659492

	registered interest
	date	11/09/2023
	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	Mahmoud Abbas
	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 assessment he has made of the compatibility of comments made by the President of the Palestinian National Authority on the Holocaust on 24 August 2023 with the UK's memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian Authority.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	198646
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>As the FCDO stated publicly on 8 September, the UK condemns the recent antisemitic remarks made by President Abbas. The UK stands firmly against all attempts to distort the Holocaust. Such statements do not advance efforts towards reconciliation. Officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem have raised this matter with the Palestinian Authority and the Foreign Secretary intends to do the same during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. President Abbas' comments are completely unacceptable and can only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine efforts to achieve the negotiated two-state solution.</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan grouped question UIN 198647 question first answered 19/09/2023 16:07:47 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1659493

	registered interest
	date	11/09/2023
	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	Mahmoud Abbas
	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 discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Palestinian National Authority on the comments made by the President of the Palestinian National Authority on the Holocaust on 24 August 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	198647
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>As the FCDO stated publicly on 8 September, the UK condemns the recent antisemitic remarks made by President Abbas. The UK stands firmly against all attempts to distort the Holocaust. Such statements do not advance efforts towards reconciliation. Officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem have raised this matter with the Palestinian Authority and the Foreign Secretary intends to do the same during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. President Abbas' comments are completely unacceptable and can only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine efforts to achieve the negotiated two-state solution.</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan grouped question UIN 198646 question first answered 19/09/2023 16:07:47 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1135328

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2019
	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	Smoking: Health Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has committed to spend on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	270346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>Detailed funding planning is underway for 2019-20 smoking cessation campaigns. Audited spend will be available at the end of the financial year.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 04/07/2019 14:24:41 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1136217

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Khaleda Zia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the imprisonment of the main opposition leader in Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, on political stability in that country; and what representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on that matter.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	272185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>We continue to stress to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. We expect those in detention including Khaleda Zia to be treated in accordance with Bangladesh's international commitments on human rights, and we regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the treatment of those in detention and on the integrity and independence of the judicial process.</p><p>The Foreign Secretary has written to Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen this year to express our concerns about the general election in December 2018 and to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to maintain dialogue with opposition parties and civil society.</p><p>The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific reiterated these concerns and the importance of respect for human rights when he met the Prime Minister and ministers during his visit to Bangladesh in April 2019.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 10/07/2019 13:31:07 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1148105

	registered interest
	date	03/10/2019
	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	Youth Centres
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps her Department is taking to increase the provision of youth centres.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	912546
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>My Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 30th September a new £500 million Youth Investment Fund, which will be delivered by DCMS. This investment will help build around 60 new youth centres across the country, refurbish around 360 existing youth facilities, and provide over 100 mobile facilities for harder to reach areas.</p><p> </p><p>The fund will also support the provision and coordination of high-quality services for young people, and an investment in the youth workforce.</p> answering member constituency Loughborough answering member printed Nicky Morgan question first answered 03/10/2019 14:01:00 answering member 4027 label Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1167294

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2019
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What progress has been made on restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	900152
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>I was disappointed that the parties were unable to reach an accommodation before the 21 October deadline. Getting Stormont back up and running remains my absolute priority, and I will do everything in my power to make it happen before the 13 January deadline. At that point, the choices facing us will be very limited indeed.</p> answering member constituency Skipton and Ripon answering member printed Julian Smith question first answered 30/10/2019 15:08:18 answering member 4118 label Biography information for Julian Smith
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1167428

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Harrow East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made of the effect on the local economy in Harrow East constituency of (a) spending and (b) investment by (i) his Department and (ii) the armed forces since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	7715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) over-riding priority is to provide national security for the UK as a whole and its extensive regional footprint exists to provide UK national security.</p><p>Spending or investment decisions are appraised on the basis of costs and benefits to UK society overall irrespective of the location of the expenditure, as required by HM Treasury Green Book.</p><p>The department does not routinely undertake assessments of the effect of national spending or investment decisions on local economies.</p><p>MOD Regional Expenditure with UK Industry and Commerce and Supported Employment is published at the Government Office Regional level as a National Statistic at the following link:</p><p>https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774871/Finance_and_economics_annual_statistical_bulletin_201718.pdf</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan grouped question UIN 7723 7738 7761 7772 7783 7790 7794 7796 question first answered 04/11/2019 16:25:40 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1167452

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Palestinians: Press Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Palestinian Authority on the effect of the implementation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 on freedom of the press in that region.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	7719
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>The UK supports calls for greater media freedoms in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The evidence is clear: where journalists and media organisations are free to do their work, societies are more prosperous and resilient. Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem regularly raise the issue of freedom of expression, including the revision of relevant legislation, with the Palestinian Authority. Her Majesty’s Consul General in Jerusalem raised this most recently on 30 October. We encourage the Palestinian Authority to ensure the harmonisation of Palestinian laws with International Human Rights conventions to which it has acceded, in order to guarantee that freedom of expression and the generally free and pluralistic media environment are preserved.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 05/11/2019 10:07:59 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1167924

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	India: Foreign Relations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What diplomatic steps he has taken to strengthen UK relations with India.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	900307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>The UK’s bilateral relationship with India is strong and growing. It is broad, covering trade and investment, people-to-people connections, and being a Force for Good in the world. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Jaishankar on his first overseas visit, to ASEAN on 1 August, and the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Modi at the G7 in August. They agreed that we should expand ambition of trade relationship as we leave the EU. The Prince of Wales will visit India in November to celebrate the depth and richness of the UK-India relationship.</p><p>New rules on post-study work visas announced in October will ensure we attract India’s best and brightest to mutual advantage.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 05/11/2019 14:51:43 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1169349

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2020
	answering body	Scotland Office
	answering dept id	2
	answering dept short name	Scotland
	answering dept sort name	Scotland
	hansard heading	United Kingdom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps he is taking to help strengthen the Union.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	900097
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2020 answer text <p>Strengthening and Sustaining the Union is a key priority for the UK Government.</p><p> </p><p>We want 2020 to be a year of growth and opportunity for Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom, not one of further division and uncertainty.</p> answering member constituency Dumfries and Galloway answering member printed Mr Alister Jack question first answered 08/01/2020 15:10:51 answering member 4619 label Biography information for Mr Alister Jack
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1183291

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2020
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Iran: Identity Cards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the (a) access to fundamental rights of Iranian citizens who do not have a new digitised ID card and (b) effect of that new system on (i) members of the Baha’i community and (ii) others not recognised under the 1979 constitution; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	26142
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of reports that Iran's Baha'i community are being prevented from obtaining identity cards under new rules, depriving them of accessing many basic services. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority religious groups face. We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief to all Iranians.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 12/03/2020 15:02:58 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1186936

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Ministers of Religion: Migrant Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps she has taken through her immigration policies to enable religious workers from India to staff places of worship in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	901701
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>This Government recognises the importance of faith across our communities in the UK, welcoming the value added by members of religious institutions from across the world.</p><p>This is reflected by dedicated immigration routes for Ministers of Religion and Religious Workers. These enable religious ministers and workers, including those from India, to live and practice their faith in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 23/03/2020 17:32:54 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196542

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has for the tobacco track and trace system in the UK at the end of the transition period; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48391
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48392 48393 48394 48395 48396 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:40 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196543

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government will take to enforce the deadline of 20 May 2020 whereby cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco products that are not sold through cannot be sold.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48392
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48391 48393 48394 48395 48396 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:40 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196544

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has for the tobacco track and trace system at the end of the sell-through period on 20 May 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48393
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48394 48395 48396 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:40 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196545

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what will happen to non-compliant tobacco track and trace stock on 20 May 2020; and how compliance with that deadline will be enforced during the covid-19 lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48393 48395 48396 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:40 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196546

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	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 tobacco (a) manufacturers', (b) wholesalers' and (c) retailers' level of compliance with the tobacco track and trace 20 May 2020 sell through period deadline.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48393 48394 48396 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:41 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1196547

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tobacco: Smuggling
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the tobacco track and trace system at the end of the transition period.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	48396
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>At the end of the transition period, HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) will need to make some changes to the tobacco track and trace system for it to continue to operate. The changes will be kept to the minimum necessary to enable the UK to have full regulatory control.</p><p> </p><p>The government has not made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of counterfeit goods of a suspension of the track and trace system as it remains committed to having a system in place at the end of the transition period.</p><p> </p><p>The government has no plans to make any changes to the end of the sell through period. From 20 May 2020, all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK must be marked with a unique identifier code and security label. Businesses with any unmarked stock after this date should return it in accordance with the existing procedures they have in place with their suppliers.</p><p> </p><p>Product which fails to comply with the requirements after the sell through period will be liable to forfeiture. Where HMRC is satisfied that a business is not complying with the requirements it may issue a notice for the business to remedy any non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To promote and assess compliance across the tobacco supply chain, HMRC has been working with tobacco manufacturers, retailers and relevant trade bodies to make them aware of their requirements and the sell through period. A key indicator of industry compliance is the high volume of businesses registered to use the system. As of the end of April, over 42,000 economic operators and approximately 65,000 premises were registered on the system.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for HMRC to publish detailed information about their operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the public can be assured that HMRC will support legitimate businesses and individuals while taking tough action against serious criminal activity and those evading and avoiding paying tax.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that HMRC does everything possible to protect individuals, businesses and the economy during this extremely difficult time.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 48391 48392 48393 48394 48395 question first answered 22/05/2020 09:00:41 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1199514

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: Harrow East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support the families of pupils on free school meals in Harrow East constituency during the school summer holidays in 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	53409
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 23 June 2020 to Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-06-03/54195/" target="_blank">54195</a>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 51893 53329 53427 53439 53570 53579 53658 53997 54032 54100 54228 55666 55678 55885 57324 57943 57944 58071 question first answered 25/06/2020 09:47:55 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1200113

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	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 extend the application of business rates relief to food and drink wholesalers.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	54095
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.</p><p> </p><p>A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as wholesalers, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 53994 54083 54084 question first answered 11/06/2020 08:05:30 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1200114

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2020
	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 extend the application of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund to the wholesale food and drink sector.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	54096
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that this is a very challenging time for businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Small businesses occupying properties for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes are likely to be particularly affected by COVID-19 due to their reliance on customer footfall, and the fact that they are less likely than larger businesses to have sufficient cash reserves to meet their high fixed property-related costs. The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) is intended to help small businesses in this situation.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities (LAs) can choose to make discretionary grants to businesses in other supply chains, like the wholesale food and drink sector, if they feel there is a particular local economic need. The Government has allocated up to an additional £617 million to LAs to enable them to give discretionary grants to businesses in this situation. LAs may choose to focus payments on those priority groups which are most relevant to their local areas or to businesses outside of these priority groups, so long as the business was trading on 11th March, and has not received any other cash grant funded by central Government.</p><p> </p><p>Small businesses which are not eligible for business grants should still be able to benefit from other elements of the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder</a>.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 12/06/2020 09:12:30 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1200547

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2020
	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	Care Homes: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the covid-19 testing of asymptomatic people to residents and staff in (a) extra care facilities, (b) retirement villages and (c) other housing-with-care facilities.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	54886
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2020 answer text <p>We have written to Directors of Public Health to ask them to help us determine which supported living and extra care settings in their areas should be able to access testing based on a risk-based criterion. Retirement villages and other housing-with-care facilities are not currently in scope to be tested. Our testing strategy is based on guidance from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 06/08/2020 16:00:53 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1200548

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2020
	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	Social Distancing: Restaurants
	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 permit responsible and socially distanced reopening of restaurants in housing-with-care developments.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	54887
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has announced five new Ministerial-led taskforces to plan how closed sectors can reopen safely including the pubs and restaurants sector. Subject to transmission of the virus continuing to decline and if businesses comply with COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect staff and customers, more businesses will be permitted to open this month</p><p>We have set out clear, practical steps that businesses should take to ensure their workplaces are COVID-19 secure and give their staff the confidence to return back to work.</p><p>The Government will continue to review the measures, assessing them to ensure that they continue to be necessary and proportionate based on available scientific evidence, which includes up to date data.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 18/06/2020 09:49:22 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1201959

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	57185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office and OFSI are part of cross-Whitehall initiatives working to develop the UK’s autonomous sanctions regimes. The Joint Anti-Corruption Unit, based in the Home Office, also liaises with OFSI in its monitoring and reporting of the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017-22.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 17/06/2020 14:08:39 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1203639

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	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	Smoking
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government's response to the Prevention Green Paper consultation will include a commitment to placing a charge on tobacco companies to fund evidence-based tobacco control measures by (a) supporting smokers to quit and (b) reducing the uptake of smoking among young people.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	59435
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to achieving a smokefree England by 2030. Plans to achieve this will be set out at a later date, and a response to the Prevention Green Paper will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 59436 question first answered 01/07/2020 16:26:59 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1203642

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	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	Smoking
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department is making on the Government's target to achieve a smoke-free generation by 2030.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	59436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to achieving a smokefree England by 2030. Plans to achieve this will be set out at a later date, and a response to the Prevention Green Paper will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 59435 question first answered 01/07/2020 16:26:59 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1218760

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2020
	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	Smoking: Public Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66027
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on smoking cessation promotion by Public Health England for the periods of 2018-19 and 2019-20 are as follows: <br></p><p>2018-19: £2.16 million <br></p><p>2019-20: £1.78 million</p><p>The figures reference expenditure for advertising on television, radio, national press, regional press, out of home (outdoor), cinema, social and digital advertising.</p><p>All figures rounded to the nearest £10,000 and do not include VAT.</p><p>Recruitment advertising and media partnerships are not included. Paid search is not included.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 13/07/2020 16:02:40 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1218807

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2020
	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	Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the (a) current prevalence and (b) annual incidence of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in England; and how that data is collected.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66028
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2020 answer text <p>The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) records people with congenital anomalies and rare diseases across the whole of England. Data collection for rare diseases is at an early stage and currently NCARDRS does not collect data on thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). NCARDRS is working to expand rare disease registration and will work with interested parties to advance data collection on rare diseases including TTP.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 66029 question first answered 16/07/2020 19:58:47 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1218808

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2020
	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	Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis, (b) mortality and (c) morbidity rate of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66029
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2020 answer text <p>The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) records people with congenital anomalies and rare diseases across the whole of England. Data collection for rare diseases is at an early stage and currently NCARDRS does not collect data on thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). NCARDRS is working to expand rare disease registration and will work with interested parties to advance data collection on rare diseases including TTP.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 66028 question first answered 16/07/2020 19:58:47 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1218809

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2020
	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	Rare Diseases: Patients
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK strategy for rare diseases: implementation plan for England published on 29 January 2018, what progress the Government has made on working with providers to produce alert cards for patients with rare diseases; and whether people with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) will be included in the list of those eligible to receive an alert card.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66030
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>In 2019, NHS England identified those specialised services in which patients with rare diseases are treated and asked the 150 providers that deliver these services to self-assess against three key criteria: care coordination; alert cards; and transition. In total, 1,000 clinical teams undertook the assessment and the completion rate was 85%. Of those providers that self-assessed: 91% confirmed that there is a person responsible for coordinating the care of any patient with a rare disease; 56% confirmed that they gave each person an alert card; and 91% confirmed that they had active transition in place.</p><p>Alert cards are already used in some hospitals that treat patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. NHS England is currently in the process of commissioning a service for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Once a full, national service is established, an alert card will be rolled out across the service.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 17/07/2020 10:07:56 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1218810

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2020
	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	Rare Diseases: Drugs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of medicine assessments conducted by NICE (a) were for medicines for rare diseases since the start of the highly specialised technologies appraisal process in 2013; how many medicines for rare diseases were approved by NICE as a proportion of total approvals since 2013; and how many medicines have been approved via the highly specialised technologies appraisal process since 2013.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66031
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has undertaken 69 assessments considering ‘orphan drugs’ since the start of its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme in 2013.</p><p>57 of these were appraised by its technology appraisals (TA) programme and NICE made 64 recommendations in total as some topics have multiple recommendations. 49 of these recommendations were positive. A further seven appraisals were terminated as the company did not make an evidence submission. This equates to 16% of NICE’s appraisal activity.</p><p>86% of NICE’s TA recommendations for orphan drugs have been positive.</p><p>NICE has published HST guidance on 12 individual topics, making 12 recommendations, all of which have been positive.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 03/08/2020 10:44:45 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1219155

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2020
	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	Rare Diseases: 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, with reference to the findings of the 2017 Office for Health Economics report entitled Comparing Access to Orphan Medicinal Products in the United Kingdom and other European countries, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people with rare diseases can access the latest treatments.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	66850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issues guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources through its technology appraisal (TA) and highly specialised technologies (HST) programmes, including drugs for patients with rare diseases. 86% of NICE’s TA recommendations, and 100% of its HST recommendations, for orphan drugs have been positive since 2013.</p><p>Through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, we are already making important drugs available to patients. So far around 1,500 patients have benefited from the scheme, which enables drugs to be used in clinical practice in parallel with later stages of the regulatory process.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 17/07/2020 09:54:14 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1220282

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2020 to Question 57185 on Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, how the criteria for applying restrictions on international organisations involved in terrorism used by her Department differs to the criteria used by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	68326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2020 answer text <p>HM Treasury (OFSI) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are responsible on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government for domestic and international counter-terrorism (CT) sanctions respectively. The Home Office does not administer any CT sanctions regimes.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office is responsible for a number of tools that can be used to support the Government’s efforts to tackle the threat from terrorism. The tests that must be satisfied before these tools can be used varies between the different tools.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 10/07/2020 13:03:40 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1222029

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2020 to Question 64077, what assessment he has made of the importance of the exchange rate margin as calculated from the European Central Bank (ECB) rate in providing clarity for people sending bank transfers abroad; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require that margin to be calculated from a live publicly available interbank rate rather than the ECB rate to ensure that transparency provisions will continue to work effectively in UK law after the end of the transition period.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	71033
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>Further to my response of 3 July 2020 to Question 64077, before the end of the Transition Period, the Government will bring forward secondary legislation under the EU Withdrawal Act 2018 to ensure that the provisions of the Cross Border Payments Regulation which require transparency of currency conversion fees and charges for credit transfers, continue to work effectively in UK law after the end of the Transition Period.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 13/07/2020 10:52:19 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1224453

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2020
	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	Mental Health Act 1983
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the Mental Health Act 1983; and whether he plans to make provisions on children's mental health services a central part of those legislative proposals.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	73799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2020 answer text <p>We have committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act.</p><p> </p><p>We will publish our White Paper as soon as it is possible to do so. We will consult publicly on our proposals and will bring forward a Bill to amend the Act when parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>The Independent Review made a number of recommendations around how the law works for children and young people. The Government will respond to these in the White Paper.</p><p> </p><p>The Mental Health Act 1983 covers the assessment, treatment and rights of people of all ages with a mental health disorder. It does not cover the provision of children’s mental health services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries question first answered 24/07/2020 14:06:48 answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1231638

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2020
	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	Stem Cells: Donors
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to encourage higher donor registration among (a) all people and (b) mixed ethnicity donors to the UK stem cell and bone marrow register.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	85022
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2020 answer text <p>Since 2011 the Department has provided over £26.8 million in financial support to NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan to enable the establishment of a unified United Kingdom Stem Cell Registry and improve access to, and outcomes of, stem cell donation. This includes improving equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients through targeted recruitment to the UK Stem Cell Registry.</p><p>There are now 1.6 million donors on the UK’s aligned stem cell registry which is part of a worldwide network of 76 stem cell registries, which list over 36 million donors worldwide and co-operate to match donors to patients across the globe.</p><p>Current funding includes very specific stipulations about the numbers of newly registered bone marrow donors, and the proportion of umbilical cords stored in the UK Cord Blood Bank that must be from BAME backgrounds (35-40%). There are now 1.6 million donors on the UK’s aligned stem cell registry and the proportion of BAME donors in the UK registry has gone up from 11% to 14% between 2014 and 2019. In 2018, 22% of newly registered potential donors were from BAME backgrounds.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 28/09/2020 12:34:48 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1232380

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Shipping: Exhaust Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential contribution to economic growth of decarbonising the maritime sector.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	86642
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>HM Treasury has not made an assessment.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019 the Department for Transport published the Clean Maritime Plan, which identified the potential for clean economic growth in the UK as a result of the transition to zero emission shipping.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the Plan, the Department published an assessment of the value of potential economic opportunities from low and zero emission shipping. The assessment projected future global uptake of new technologies and estimated the supply chain and export opportunities for the UK from the transition to zero emission shipping.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 16/09/2020 08:21:56 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1233352

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Shipping: Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the maritime sector on the role that decarbonising the maritime sector can play in reaching net zero by 2050.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	88293
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>The domestic maritime sector falls under the UK’s national net zero target, and in common with the wider economy will need to be decarbonised by 2050 in order to achieve net zero.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has regular meetings with industry and civil society representatives on the issue of decarbonisation, to discuss both domestic Net Zero and the international work to address GHG emissions being undertaken at the International Maritime Organization.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 18/09/2020 13:22:43 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1235501

	registered interest
	date	17/09/2020
	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	Stem Cells: Donors
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to encourage higher donor registration among mixed ethnicity donors to the UK stem cell and bone marrow register.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	91625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>Since 2011 the Department has provided over £26.8 million in financial support to NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan to enable the establishment of a unified United Kingdom Stem Cell Registry and improve access to, and outcomes of, stem cell donation.</p><p>This includes improving equity of access to unrelated donor stem cell transplantation for all ethnicities, including those with mixed ethnicities, through targeted recruitment to the UK Stem Cell Registry. Anthony Nolan have established a taskforce dedicated to engaging with supporters from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those with mixed ethnicities, which will co-create content and recruitment campaigns that serve and resonate with target audiences. Additionally, they are working closely with partners – such as the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust and the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign - to focus recruitment in ethnically diverse areas of the UK, and to target recruitment on currently under-represented groups.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 12/10/2020 10:11:28 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1237036

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2020
	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	Dementia: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure people with dementia can have safe social contact with their family and friends during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	94400
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government guidance ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): Meeting with others safely (social distancing)’ provides guidance for seeing friends and family and can be used by people living with dementia and their family and friends. The guidance is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing</a></p><p>The Government also published guidance on how people can make a support bubble with another household. The guidance is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household</a></p><p>Local lockdown regulations exempt those providing care or assistance to a vulnerable person from the prohibition on household mixing.</p><p>In the ‘Adult social care: coronavirus (COVID-19) winter plan 2020 to 2021’, published on 18 September, we set out tightened infection prevention and control measures to enable visits to care home residents to continue safely. The plan is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-coronavirus-covid-19-winter-plan-2020-to-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-coronavirus-covid-19-winter-plan-2020-to-2021</a></p><p>We published visiting guidance on 22 July 2020 which outlined how providers, based on the views of their local Director of Public Health, could take a dynamic risk-based approach to allow visiting where safe. This guidance will shortly be updated to reflect the changes announced in the winter plan and is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on-policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on-policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes</a></p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 08/10/2020 16:37:44 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
	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

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

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

1239986

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	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 ensure the resilience of the supply of food to (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) care homes.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	98702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2020 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Public sector food provision for specific sectors including schools, hospitals and care homes is led by the relevant government departments. My department is working closely with officials in DfE and DHSC, as the lead departments, to ensure food supply continues to schools, hospitals and care homes. My officials are providing advice and sharing relevant industry intelligence related to broader food supply concerns, in order to support lead government departments with contingency planning. This supports departments in their engagement with their food suppliers. DfE is working in partnership with food suppliers to ensure that schools can continue to provide pupils with nutritious meals. NHS England and DHSC are engaging with the supply chain for hospitals and care homes to ensure their suppliers are fully prepared for the end of the year.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 07/10/2020 16:16:13 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240753

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	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	Nagorno Karabakh: Armed Conflict
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to support UN Security Council resolutions (a) 822, (b) 853, (c) 874 and (d) 884.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>We acknowledge the importance of these UN Security Council Resolutions, which reaffirm the primacy of the OSCE Minsk Group as the international forum via which a peaceful settlement to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be reached. We consider that the Basic Principles for a settlement proposed by the Minsk Group Co-chairs provide the basis for a reasonable compromise in this regard, taking due account of the relevant OSCE principles governing relations between member-states.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 13/10/2020 11:58:24 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240850

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Public Sector: Outdoor Advertising
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many outdoor advertising assets are held by the public sector in the UK; and what the value is of those assets.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>National and local channels, including TV, radio, digital and social media, and out of home advertising, are essential for the Government’s communication with the public. We book large-scale outdoor advertising assets on a temporary basis from media owners, in line with campaign objectives and to maximise reach. These costs are regularly published as part of routine government transparency.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 14/10/2020 15:03:24 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240851

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Public Sector: Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to update the Green Book to issue local authorities and other public sector bodies with guidance on how to manage land assets and commercial property investments.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99594
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>HM Treasury will publish a revised Green Book at Spending Review 2020. This will reflect the findings of the Green Book review which was established at Budget 2020 to investigate whether the Green Book hindered the Government’s levelling up ambitions. It does not specifically address the management of land assets and commercial property investments. However, as part of a recent consultation, the Government set out that Local Authorities should not be investing in commercial property investments that serve no direct policy or treasury management purpose, and made proposals to amend the lending terms of the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) to address the issue. The consultation closed on 31 July and the Government will be issuing a response in due course.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 12/10/2020 11:37:46 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

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