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987898

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Fuel Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support consumers in financial difficulty to meet their energy costs.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	179201
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2018 answer text <p>Protecting low income and vulnerable consumers when it comes to their energy costs is a priority for this Government. This is why the Energy Company Obligation, our main domestic energy efficiency scheme, will now be solely focused on upgrading the homes of those on low incomes to help tackle the root cause of fuel poverty.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also recently extended the Warm Home Discount scheme, which supports over 2 million low income and vulnerable households by cutting £140 off their winter energy bills.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also introducing the energy price cap to protect over 11 million households on poor value standard variable tariff deals this winter.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 24/10/2018 16:55:12 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

987897

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Fuel Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	179200
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2018 answer text <p>Government is addressing fuel poverty by improving home energy efficiency and making energy more affordable for vulnerable households. Parliament has passed legislation to introduce an energy price cap, protecting households on standard variable and default tariffs in addition to the protection provided by the pre-payment and vulnerable customer safeguard tariffs. Over 2 million low income and vulnerable households will also benefit this winter from the Warm Home Discount, a £140 rebate on their energy bill which we have committed to through to 2021 and all pensioner households receive between £100 and £300 over the winter months through the Winter Fuel Payment.</p><p> </p><p>We have also announced that we will focus all of the £640 million per year Energy Company Obligation on low income and vulnerable households from 2018 to 2022. This new scheme will also include support for innovation, aimed at improving quality and reducing the cost of technologies that will be required to meet the fuel poverty target. Beyond those dates, we committed through the Clean Growth Strategy to extending support for energy efficiency at least at the current level of ECO through to 2028, meaning over £6 billion of investment will be made into home energy efficiency over the next ten years. In addition, we introduced legislation in April this year requiring private landlords to improve the energy efficiency of F and G rated properties, so that all tenants can heat their home at a reasonable cost.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 24/10/2018 16:54:36 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

987899

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Literacy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support adults without basic literacy skills.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	179202
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>This government recognises the importance of English, both in work and everyday life. This is why we provide full funding for adult learners in England to secure English qualifications from entry level to level 2.</p><p>To raise standards of adult literacy, we are reforming English Functional Skills qualifications, which are accessed primarily by adults. This will make sure that these qualifications are more rigorous and better recognised by employers.</p><p>Through the Flexible Learning Fund, we are investing over £11 million to design and test ways of delivering learning more flexibly to adults with low or intermediate skills.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 23/10/2018 08:51:04 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

987750

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Basic Skills
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of which areas of England have the highest proportion of adults with below average functional (a) numeracy and (b) literacy.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	179199
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>We recognise that more needs to be done to ensure adults in England have the literacy and numeracy skills that they need for life and work. This is why this government provides full funding for adults in England to enable them to develop their literacy and numeracy skills and to secure qualifications from entry level up to GCSE level.</p><p>The Skills for Life Survey, which was published in 2011, estimated the literacy and numeracy knowledge of adults aged 16 to 65 in England. This includes estimates for regions and local authorities. The survey shows estimates of the percentage of the adult population with different levels for these components for England and each region. It can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/36520/region-2009-all_1_.xlsx" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/36520/region-2009-all_1_.xlsx</a>.</p><p>According to the survey, adults who have the lowest proportion of literacy and numeracy skills (with a L2 qualification or above) are in London and the North East respectively. However, this does not take into account adults who have English as a second language.</p><p>We are working with a range of sector and research partners to improve the evidence base on the best ways to support adults to secure basic English and maths skills. This includes exploring innovative ways through the Career Learning Pilots.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 23/10/2018 08:36:47 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

993671

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2018
	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	Air Pollution
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding he has allocated to air pollution alert systems in each of the last three years; and what steps he has taken to locate those systems in (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) nurseries.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	182755
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2018 answer text <p>Air quality is a devolved matter.</p><p> </p><p>In England, the government is committed to making sure the best independent evidence and information on pollution events is available to the public. As part of this commitment a five-day air quality forecast service from the Met Office is available to the public on Defra’s UK Air website. It provides up-to-date information on air pollution, and alerts during periods of elevated pollution. The latest real world measurements from monitoring sites are also available. The cost of providing this forecasting and dissemination platform is just over £1m.</p><p> </p><p>The national network of air quality monitors currently comprises 282 sites across the UK and is managed by the Environment Agency. Sites are organised into networks that gather information for a wide range of pollutants in towns and cities as well as in rural areas. Monitoring stations for key pollutants are sited in accordance with criteria set out in the EU Air Quality Directive to ensure measurements are representative and also comparable across all member states. The 9 National monitoring networks cost just under £6m per year to operate.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Clean Air Strategy we are looking at providing a messaging system to inform the public about the air quality forecast, providing clearer information on air pollution episodes and accessible health advice.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities also have requirements to monitor air pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The government provides guidance, including helpdesk advice, to local authorities on the appropriate type of monitoring to install. Where local authorities conduct air quality monitoring, they are expected to site monitors in accordance with local and national priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 30/10/2018 12:34:31 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

993670

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2018
	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	Air Pollution
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) school behaviour change programmes and (b) other projects designed to protect children's health from air pollution in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	182754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2018 answer text <p>Air quality is a devolved matter. Local authorities can bid for additional government funding via the air quality grant fund for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses and residents. In 2016/17, the London Borough of Islington was awarded £50,000 to run a local school-focused awareness and engagement campaign through the air quality grant.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities have a duty to monitor and assess air quality and to take action to reduce pollution where these breach statutory limits, and are best placed to determine local priorities. Their local knowledge and interaction with the communities that they serve means that they know the issues on the ground in detail and the solutions that are best suited to local circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The government awarded a total of £2.4 million to local authorities from the 2017/18 air quality grant fund; £3.7 million was awarded to local authorities in 2016/17 and £0.5 million in 2015/16. £3 million has been allocated for 2018/19.</p><p> </p><p>The government has also put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, which includes £475 million for councils to improve air quality. We have consulted on our Clean Air Strategy, which includes ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies which will help us to clean up our air faster and more effectively.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 26/10/2018 15:12:21 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

1087266

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	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	China: Organs
	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 representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the reported targeting of (a) Uighur Muslims, (b) Christians, (c) people who practise Falun Gong and (d) Tibetans for live organ harvesting in China.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	231452
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of reports that allege that organ harvesting may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted.</p><p>However, as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Europe and the Americas, said in a Westminster Hall debate in October 2016: “Although I do not doubt the need to maintain close scrutiny of organ transplant practices in China, we believe that the evidence base is not sufficiently strong to substantiate claims about the systematic harvesting of organs from minority groups. Indeed, based on all the evidence available to us, we cannot conclude that this practice of “organ harvesting” is definitely happening in China.”</p><p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) collates global data on organ donations and works with China. The WHO view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, although the WHO does have concerns about overall transparency.</p><p>We will continue to review any new evidence that is presented to us.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2019 16:50:56 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

1087265

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	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	China: Falun Gong
	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 assessment he has made of trends in the level of persecution of people who practise Falun Gong in China.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	231451
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, as well as Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and others, in China on the grounds of their religion or belief. Everyone should be free to practice their religion according to their beliefs, in accordance with the international frameworks to which both the UK and China are party. We believe that societies which aim to guarantee freedom of religion or belief are more stable, prosperous and more resilient against violent extremism.</p><p> </p><p>We raised our concerns about freedom of religion or belief during China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November 2018. We also highlighted our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s most recent Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2019 16:49:02 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

1087263

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	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	China: Organs
	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 representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on forced live organ harvesting in China.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	231450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of reports that allege that organ harvesting may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted.</p><p> </p><p>However, as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Europe and the Americas, said in a Westminster Hall debate in October 2016: “Although I do not doubt the need to maintain close scrutiny of organ transplant practices in China, we believe that the evidence base is not sufficiently strong to substantiate claims about the systematic harvesting of organs from minority groups. Indeed, based on all the evidence available to us, we cannot conclude that this practice of “organ harvesting” is definitely happening in China.”</p><p> </p><p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) collates global data on organ donations and works with China. The WHO view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, although the WHO does have concerns about overall transparency.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to review any new evidence that is presented to us.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2019 16:47:58 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

1061287

	registered interest
	date	14/02/2019
	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	Tanzania: LGBT+ People
	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 made to his Tanzanian counterpart on human rights abuses toward LGBT people in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	221764
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2019 answer text <p>I continue to be concerned by any reports of targeting or threats against the LGBTI community in Tanzania. As I said in my tweet on 2 November, language that invites violence against any community in society should be rejected. The British High Commission, alongside international partners, carried out a demarche on the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the authorities to respect human rights and protect all citizens from discrimination. I welcomed the statement by the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 November restating the protection of rights enshrined in their Constitution and distancing themselves from comments made by their officials. We continue to urge the Tanzanian authorities to respect the rights of sexual minorities and protect all Tanzanian citizens from discrimination. I personally raised discrimination and human rights abuses towards LGBTI people in Tanzania when I met Foreign Minister Mahiga in Brussels on 21 January. I wrote to him in similar terms in November last year and the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development, has also raised teh issue with President Magufuli.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 22/02/2019 14:25:52 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans