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49115

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the (a) fairness and (b) viability of reforming the firefighters' pension scheme allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	107177
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government is reforming all public service pension schemes to ensure that they remain fair to workers and sustainable for taxpayers. The transitional protection arrangements for the firefighters' pension schemes are set out in the Proposed Final Agreement which was published in May 2012. The transitional protections use age to calculate a member's entitlement to protection. More firefighters are protected from changes than any other large public service workforce.</p><p>There has been recent correspondence with the Fire Brigades Union on the scope and timing of discussions on this issue. Copies of this correspondence can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 107178 question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

49116

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has (a) discussed with and (b) received any representations from the Fire Brigades Union regarding the adoption of a firefighters' pension scheme which would allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	107178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government is reforming all public service pension schemes to ensure that they remain fair to workers and sustainable for taxpayers. The transitional protection arrangements for the firefighters' pension schemes are set out in the Proposed Final Agreement which was published in May 2012. The transitional protections use age to calculate a member's entitlement to protection. More firefighters are protected from changes than any other large public service workforce.</p><p>There has been recent correspondence with the Fire Brigades Union on the scope and timing of discussions on this issue. Copies of this correspondence can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 107177 question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1301357

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many female service personnel had an abortion whilst serving between 2000 and 2020; and how many were subsequently discharged from service after the termination.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	166450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>Between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020, 1,275 Armed Forces personnel had a read code in their electronic medical record for a termination of pregnancy. Like for like data prior to 1 January 2010 is not held, as this preceded the roll-out of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme, the source of electronic, integrated healthcare records of Armed Forces personnel.</p><p>Of the 1,275 personnel, 486 are no longer serving as at 1 January 2021. It is not possible to determine an association between their termination of pregnancy and subsequent discharge from service. However, between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020 there were no medical discharges officially recorded with a principal or contributory cause of termination of pregnancy.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 15/03/2021 10:22:40 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46583

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the cost to Indian nationals of applying for a (a) UK and (b) US student visa.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office assesses visa fees annually, to ensure the fees charged by the <br>UK are competitive with similar endorsement types offered by other countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 10/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46584

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for study visas by Indian nationals were (a) granted and (b) refused in the year ending (i) September 2012 and (ii) September 2013.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The information requested is given in the table below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><strong>Entry clearance study visas resolved by outcome: Indian nationals </strong></td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">(main applicants, Tier 4 &amp; pre-PBS equivalents)</td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>Resolved</td><td><em>of which</em></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td>Issued</td><td>Refused</td><td>Withdrawn</td><td>Lapsed</td></tr><tr><td>Year ending September 2012</td><td>21,738</td><td>17,011</td><td>4,322</td><td>275</td><td>130</td></tr><tr><td>Year ending September 2013</td><td>16,669</td><td>12,926</td><td>3,524</td><td>202</td><td>17</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance study visas <br>issued (by nationality) and refused, are published in the quarterly Immigration <br>Statistics release, which is available from the Library of the House and on the <br>Department's website at:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 10/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46589

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department makes available to applicants for Tier 4 student visas on maintenance funding requirements; and what types of accounts or financial instruments count towards meeting this requirement.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194831
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office provides guidance on the maintenance funding requirements for Tier 4 student visas to applicants in Appendix C of the Immigration Rules, in <br>the Tier 4 Policy guidance for applicants, and on the Tier 4 application form. The Tier 4 application form also calculates the level of funds an applicant requires and advises them which documents they can submit as evidence. <br><br>The guidance does not specify an exhaustive list of accounts or financial instruments that can be used to satisfy the maintenance requirement. Instead, <br>the Immigration Rules set out the attributes an acceptable account must satisfy. The rules specifically exclude financial instruments such as shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds from use as acceptable evidence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

931347

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academies: Admissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies have used the right of appeal to disagree with a local authority's decision to place a child in their school; and what the outcome of those cases were in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	157761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2018 answer text <p>Where a local authority considers that an academy will best meet the needs of a child, it can ask the academy to admit that child. The local authority and the academy will usually come to an agreement, but if the academy refuses to admit the child, the local authority can ask the Secretary of State to direct them to do so. Academies do not have the right to appeal against a direction made by the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p>Published guidance on academy admissions can be found on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-admissions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-admissions</a>.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 02/07/2018 16:38:41 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

657861

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2016
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academies: Headteachers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy headteachers earn more than the Prime Minister.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	57539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2016 answer text <p>In November 2015, there were 59 head teachers in academies and Free Schools recorded receiving an actual salary of more than the Prime Minister, £142,500. This figure includes executive head teachers who are in charge of more than one school.</p><p>This information is collected in the School Workforce Census which covers state funded schools in England and is the latest available.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/12/2016 18:23:38 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1289678

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2021
	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	Additional Restrictions Grant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much has been allocated to local authorities through the Additional Restrictions Grant; how much of that funding has (a) been spent and (b) remains unspent to date; and what the timeframe is for local authorities to be allocated that grant funding.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	158071
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) is a discretionary scheme aimed at supporting businesses, including those that have not been mandated to close but have had their trade adversely affected by the nationalised restrictions. Local Authorities have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding via the ARG, in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020. Local Authorities can use the ARG to support businesses in their local area, as they see fit. We expect Local Authorities to use this additional resource quickly to support businesses in their area. Local Authorities are able to use the Additional Restrictions Grant until the end of the financial year 2021/2022.</p><p>This data relates to allocations and grant payments made by Local Authorities to businesses up to 17 January 2021:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 01/03/2021 17:48:18 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

805140

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many prospective adopters are (a) UK and (b) non-UK EU nationals.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	118812
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2017 answer text <p>I am sorry, but the department does not hold the information requested.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 19/12/2017 19:39:37 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

809735

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 February 2017, HCWS506 on Update on the Children and Social Work Bill what the timetable is for the eligibility rules to come into force.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	120355
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2018 answer text <p>The Government is still considering the issue of legal aid eligibility for parents seeking to challenge these types of placement order.</p> answering member constituency Esher and Walton answering member printed Dominic Raab question first answered 08/01/2018 14:54:41 answering member 4007 label Biography information for Dominic Raab
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

810078

	registered interest
	date	20/12/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the the Written Statement of 28 February 2017, HCWS506, on Update on the Children and Social Work Bill, whether it is his policy that those same parents will be eligible for non-means and non-merits tested legal aid for opposing an adoption order and for legal representation at the adoption hearing.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	120544
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2018 answer text <p>The Government is still considering the issue of legal aid eligibility for parents seeking to challenge these types of placement order.</p> answering member constituency Esher and Walton answering member printed Dominic Raab question first answered 08/01/2018 14:55:00 answering member 4007 label Biography information for Dominic Raab
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

834023

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the time taken to place children in need of adoption with a family under adoption scorecards.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	125780
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2018 answer text <p>The Adoption Scorecards show the three year average figures on adoption timeliness and are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-scorecards" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-scorecards</a>.</p><p>The latest figures show the average time between a child entering care and moving in with their adoptive family, for children who have been adopted between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2016.</p><p>The department’s main source of information on adoption timeliness is the Children looked after in England including adoption statistical first release published here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children</a> and Table E2 of the national tables found in the link, shows annual figures on adoption timeliness.</p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 02/02/2018 14:51:48 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

834336

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress is being made on the regionalisation of local authority adoption teams.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	125956
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2018 answer text <p>There are currently six live Regional Adoption Agencies covering 31 local authorities. Another 12 Regional Adoption Agencies are working towards going live. We are working with the remaining local authorities on their plans to form a Regional Adoption Agency.</p><p>The government is committed to regionalising the adoption system to ensure those children, for whom adoption is the right path, are given the best chance of finding a loving family as quickly as possible. All local authorities should be part of a Regional Adoption Agency by 2020.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/02/2018 16:59:24 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

834337

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current number of adopters is in England; and how many children are awaiting adoption.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	125957
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2018 answer text <p>The department’s main source of information on adoption is the Children looked after in England including adoption statistical first release published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children</a>.</p><p>Table E4 of the national tables shows that there were 2,580 children waiting with a placement order who were not yet placed for adoption at 31 March 2017.</p><p>The Adoption Leadership Board (ALB) quarterly survey shows further information on adopters recruited by local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies in England. The reports are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/adoption-system-performance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/adoption-system-performance</a>.</p><p>The latest quarterly data shows that there were 2,800 approved adoptive families waiting to be matched with children at 30 September 2016.</p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/02/2018 16:54:02 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

834338

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities are currently not accepting new applications for people to become adopters.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	125958
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/02/2018 17:05:09 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

685476

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adopted children (a) were placed with their full or half siblings in the last three years and (b) who were not so placed have not had contact with their full or half siblings detailed in their adoption order in the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	63208
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2017 answer text <p>Local authorities hold such information in plans for looked after children and adopted children. This data is not sent to the Department. Local authorities must take account of a family’s needs when planning care for a child in so far as is consistent with the welfare of a child (which remains paramount), as set out in guidance on care placements, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-act-1989-care-planning-placement-and-case-review. Where it is not possible, or appropriate, to place siblings together, siblings must be supported to understand the reasons why. Contact arrangements between siblings must be robust and remain under independent review.</p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Edward Timpson grouped question UIN 63207 63302 question first answered 09/02/2017 13:16:55 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

982836

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Panels: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides on payment of the members of adoption panels.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	176317
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2018 answer text <p>Guidance on the payment of adoption panel members can be found in the Department’s Adoption Statutory Guidance available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-statutory-guidance-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-statutory-guidance-2013</a>.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 16/10/2018 10:33:24 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

982739

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his plans are for the Adoption Support Fund over the next five years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	176315
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2018 answer text <p>The Adoption Support Fund is guaranteed until March 2020. Plans for the fund beyond 2020 will be considered as part of the government spending review process.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 16/10/2018 14:22:15 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1257727

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Court of Appeal's ruling of 24 November 2020, Case No: C1/2020/1279, what discussions he had with the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families prior to the introduction of the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	124197
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 came into force on 24 April 2020 and expired on 25 September 2020. Further regulations continuing a small number of these amendments came into force from 25 September 2020 (Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020) following a public consultation over the summer. This is to ensure that services are maintained during the COVID-19 outbreak. These amendments are in place until 31 March 2021.</p><p>Where local authorities deemed it appropriate to make use of the amendments, taking account of all available information, every decision had to be agreed at senior manager level. The amendments were monitored by the department based on a triangulation of information gathered from a variety of sources, including local authorities, charities and key partners, including Ofsted.</p><p>As a departmental official, the Chief Social Worker is routinely involved in the development of policy on children’s social care, providing independent expert advice.</p><p>The legal cost for the initial Judicial Review (High Court) and the appeal (Court of Appeal) are estimated to total £80,000.<strong><br> <br> </strong></p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 124196 124198 124199 question first answered 07/12/2020 11:09:48 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1190575

	registered interest
	date	27/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations requested changes to the (a) Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002, (b) Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005, (c) Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005, (d) Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006, (e) Education and Inspections Act 2006 (Inspection of Local Authorities) Regulations 2007, (f) Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, (g) Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, (h) Children Act 2004 (Joint Area Reviews) Regulations 2015, (i) Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and (j) Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Fees and Frequency of Inspections) (Children’s Homes etc.) Regulations 2015 which were subsequently incorporated into the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	40637
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The safety of vulnerable children remains a high priority, and we have taken a number of steps to ensure this is prioritised during the COVID-19 outbreak, including ensuring that vulnerable children can continue to attend education and childcare settings that are closed to the majority of children.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of statutory duties on children’s social care remain unchanged. However, in light of the current pressures COVID-19 is bringing on social care services, and the risk of such pressures increasing, we have reviewed our regulations to allow some temporary and limited flexibility, to be used where absolutely necessary, to enable children's services to continue to support vulnerable children in the most effective and safest way during the outbreak. The regulatory changes will be kept under continuous review and will expire on 25 September 2020 unless extended.</p><p> </p><p>The department consulted a wide range of stakeholders and local authority practitioners about what changes to children’s social care regulations would be appropriate and has carried out an internal review of all existing regulations over the last couple of months since the start of the outbreak. The changes made anticipate the potential issues children’s social care may face during this period, as well as those currently being dealt with. Our starting point has been to make minimal changes to ensure the safe functioning of children’s social care during COVID-19. The additional flexibilities should only be used when absolutely necessary and in line with overarching safeguarding and welfare duties.</p><p>The department has produced COVID-19 guidance for local authorities on children’s social care which is currently being updated to include a plain English explanation of what each regulation change does. This guidance is due to be published very shortly and will be kept under review alongside the Regulations.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 40635 40636 40638 40639 question first answered 04/05/2020 17:23:22 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1191091

	registered interest
	date	28/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date his Department provided a copy of The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 to the Children’s Commissioner for England.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	41054
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The department shared a list of the children’s social care regulation changes with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) on 16 April 2020 and provided further detail of the changes in response to the OCC’s questions.</p><p>The OCC has also commented on the revised COVID-19 guidance for local authorities on children’s social care. The guidance provides information on the regulation changes and is due to be published shortly.</p><p>The department shared the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 with key stakeholders, including the Children’s Commissioner, when they were published on 23 April 2020. The regulations and guidance will be under continuous review, in close co-operation with the sector.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 41053 question first answered 04/05/2020 15:35:12 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

905665

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption and Special Guardianship Orders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) adoptions and (b) special guardian placements have broken down in the each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	144922
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2018 answer text <p>The department does not hold information on all the occasions when special guardianship placements or adoptions have broken down. A research report, ‘Beyond the adoption order’, was published in 2014 and gave a one-off insight into adoption breakdown. This report can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beyond-the-adoption-order-challenges-intervention-disruption" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beyond-the-adoption-order-challenges-intervention-disruption</a>.</p><p> </p><p>National statistics on numbers of children in England starting to be looked after who had a previous permanence arrangement, whether a special guardianship order or adoption order, are available at the bottom of Table C1 at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p> </p><p>These figures were collected for the first time in 2014 and should be treated with caution as the information is based on self-declaration and for a large number of children the previous permanence arrangement is not known.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 144921 question first answered 21/05/2018 15:06:51 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1248764

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption: Ethnic Groups
	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 reduce the time taken for Black children to be found an adoptive family.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	111532
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Ensuring the right adopters come forward for the children we have waiting for forever homes remains a priority for the government. That is why we have given Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) £1 million to develop a sector led recruitment campaign during the 2020-21 financial year. This campaign, launched on 16 September 2020, is challenging preconceived conceptions about who can adopt and encouraging more potential adopters to come forward.</p><p>Part of the campaign has a specific focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities through outreach work in two pilot areas, London and Birmingham. The RAAs are also funding the voluntary sector organisation, Home for Good, to run a triage service to support prospective adopters from these pilot areas. This will include a safe space to explore adoption and ask further questions, but also seek extra support during the process. Lessons learnt from this work will be spread to all RAAs and Voluntary Adoption Agencies.</p><p>The Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board regularly monitor adoption data including children who are waiting to be matched with a family. Ensuring children from BAME backgrounds are placed without delay is a priority for the Board.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 111533 question first answered 09/11/2020 13:34:17 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1248766

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption: Ethnic Groups
	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 Black prospective adopters going through the adoption assessment process.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	111533
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Ensuring the right adopters come forward for the children we have waiting for forever homes remains a priority for the government. That is why we have given Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) £1 million to develop a sector led recruitment campaign during the 2020-21 financial year. This campaign, launched on 16 September 2020, is challenging preconceived conceptions about who can adopt and encouraging more potential adopters to come forward.</p><p>Part of the campaign has a specific focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities through outreach work in two pilot areas, London and Birmingham. The RAAs are also funding the voluntary sector organisation, Home for Good, to run a triage service to support prospective adopters from these pilot areas. This will include a safe space to explore adoption and ask further questions, but also seek extra support during the process. Lessons learnt from this work will be spread to all RAAs and Voluntary Adoption Agencies.</p><p>The Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board regularly monitor adoption data including children who are waiting to be matched with a family. Ensuring children from BAME backgrounds are placed without delay is a priority for the Board.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 111532 question first answered 09/11/2020 13:34:17 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1140224

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to respond to the recommendations in the all-party Parliamentary group on adoption and permanence’s report entitled Investing in Families, published 16 July 2019.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	279068
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>There are no plans for the department to formally respond to the recommendations in the All-Party Parliamentary Group on adoption and permanence’s report entitled ‘Investing in Families’ at this time.</p><p>We welcome the fact that the report shows how thousands of children have had their lives transformed by therapeutic support provided by the Adoption Support Fund as they settle in to their new homes. The government has spent more than £124 million through the fund which has benefitted more than 44,500 families.</p><p>The report has helpfully identified a number of areas for improvement in the delivery of the Adoption Support Fund that will be considered carefully over the coming months and be incorporated into our Spending Review plans.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 23/07/2019 15:36:40 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

892260

	registered interest
	date	26/04/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to evaluate the performance of the Regional Adoption Agencies.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	138478
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2018 answer text <p>We have commissioned a longitudinal evaluation that will assess Regional Adoption Agencies impact on adoption services. This evaluation is being led by Ecorys with the Hadley Centre and it will conclude in 2020.</p><p>In ‘Adoption: A Vision for Change’, we committed to introducing Adoption Scorecards for Regional Adoption Agencies and we will be releasing more information in due course.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 03/05/2018 16:35:57 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1357488

	registered interest
	date	22/09/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Afghanistan: Interpreters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the 260 interpreters his Department has made contact with since the data breach on 20 September 2021; and in what form that contact was made.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	53249
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>All 260 ARAP eligible individuals whose details were involved in the data breach on 20 September have been advised to delete their email account and create a new email address. We have asked them to provide us with their new details so that we can continue to communicate with them via email. We continue to support their relocation by these means.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 18/10/2021 11:07:38 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1438936

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Allergies: Medical Equipment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether GPs can prescribe EpiPens for anaphylaxis; and what mitigations are in place for children who have received a diagnosis of anaphylaxis and are required to wait for an EpiPen to be prescribed by a consultant.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	136568
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, taking into account best practice and the local commissioning decisions of the respective clinical commissioning group. There are no restrictions on the licence which precludes general practitioners from prescribing these products and no requirement in the Summary of Product Characteristics that EpiPens may only be prescribed by specialists or consultants.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 14/03/2022 10:38:12 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1367330

	registered interest
	date	09/11/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Amusement Arcades: Business Rates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether seaside and high street arcades will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount as announced for the leisure industry in the Autumn Budget 2021.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	72468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2021 answer text <p>Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 72467 72470 72492 question first answered 16/11/2021 14:30:28 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1279293

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Amusement Arcades: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the VAT reduction to five per cent was not granted to amusement arcades.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	141477
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July to support the cash flow and viability of over 150,000 businesses and protect 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors, and will run until 31 March 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Hospitality for the purposes of this relief includes the supply of food and non-alcoholic beverages from restaurants, cafes, pubs and similar establishments for consumption on the premises. It also includes the supply of hot food and non-alcoholic hot beverages to take away. Where an amusement arcade provides such hospitality, that hospitality will benefit from the reduced rate.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government keeps all taxes under review, this relief comes at a significant cost to the Exchequer, and there are currently no plans to extend the scope of the reduced rate. This policy will cost over £2 billion, and while some businesses in some sectors are disappointed, a boundary for eligibility had to be drawn.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/01/2021 17:07:38 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1579887

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Anti-social Behaviour
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms are in place to remove the owner of a property who is engaging in anti-social behaviour and causing harm to neighbours whilst living in that property.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	129969
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.</p><p>The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour. However, these powers cannot be used to remove the owner of a property who is engaging in ASB.</p><p>It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy the powers in the 2014 Act depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.</p><p>The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in June 2022 to ensure a victim-centered approach to tackling ASB as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 26/01/2023 17:20:27 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1623358

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the period of time within which employers can use their apprenticeship levy funds from 24 to 36 months.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	182298
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. The department is committed to supporting more people to benefit from the sustained, high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.</p><p>Levy-payers can spend their levy funds on over 660 apprenticeship standards and the department is encouraging more flexible training models so employers can train their apprentices in the ways that work best for them.</p><p>The department considers that a period of 24 months before levy funds expire gives employers ample time to plan their apprenticeship programmes and create new apprenticeship opportunities.</p><p>The department’s reforms have raised the quality of apprenticeships, giving apprentices confidence that they will receive stretching and sustained training. We continue to support and safeguard apprenticeship quality through several measures, including minimum duration requirements for off-the-job training, provider accountability monitoring, the 12-month minimum period of training, and Ofsted inspection and monitoring visits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 182301 question first answered 27/04/2023 16:43:19 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1623382

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to remove the 12-month minimum course requirement for the use of apprenticeship levy money.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	182301
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. The department is committed to supporting more people to benefit from the sustained, high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.</p><p>Levy-payers can spend their levy funds on over 660 apprenticeship standards and the department is encouraging more flexible training models so employers can train their apprentices in the ways that work best for them.</p><p>The department considers that a period of 24 months before levy funds expire gives employers ample time to plan their apprenticeship programmes and create new apprenticeship opportunities.</p><p>The department’s reforms have raised the quality of apprenticeships, giving apprentices confidence that they will receive stretching and sustained training. We continue to support and safeguard apprenticeship quality through several measures, including minimum duration requirements for off-the-job training, provider accountability monitoring, the 12-month minimum period of training, and Ofsted inspection and monitoring visits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 182298 question first answered 27/04/2023 16:43:19 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1646382

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the Apprenticeship Levy that has been spent on people studying at (a) Level 3 and (b) level 4 and above in each of the last 5 years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	190584
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2023 answer text <p>The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. Employers have developed over 670 apprenticeship standards, including 220 at level 3 and 315 at levels 4 and above, to build the skilled workforces they need.</p><p>There have been over 5.4 million apprenticeship starts in England since 2010.</p><p>The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers. The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year, and it is encouraging to see that in the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the budget was spent.</p><p>The table below shows the total apprenticeships participation spend in England at level 3 and above from the 2017/18 academic year. This is the total spend for apprenticeships by both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers and includes apprenticeships started in previous years.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Apprenticeships participation spend (£ million)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 3</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 6</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Level 7</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>622</p></td><td><p>746</p></td><td><p>68</p></td><td><p>55</p></td><td><p>33</p></td><td><p>11</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>557</p></td><td><p>838</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>78</p></td><td><p>57</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>473</p></td><td><p>885</p></td><td><p>163</p></td><td><p>132</p></td><td><p>133</p></td><td><p>118</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>378</p></td><td><p>848</p></td><td><p>192</p></td><td><p>156</p></td><td><p>203</p></td><td><p>186</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>421</p></td><td><p>953</p></td><td><p>222</p></td><td><p>160</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>216</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 27/06/2023 16:56:09 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1650481

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2023 to Question 190584 on Apprentices: Taxation, how many students were studying at Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 and above in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	192570
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2023 answer text <p>The data showing apprenticeship participation for the last five academic years is shown in the table below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021/22</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Advanced apprenticeship (level 3)</p></td><td><p>372,430</p></td><td><p>356,150</p></td><td><p>338,680</p></td><td><p>326,380</p></td><td><p>330,410</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Higher apprenticeship (level 4 and above)</p></td><td><p>84,240</p></td><td><p>123,950</p></td><td><p>165,510</p></td><td><p>207,860</p></td><td><p>238,820</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes:</p><p>(1) 2017/18 to 2021/22 figures cover full academic years volumes.</p><p>(2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.</p><p>(3) Participation is the count of learners that participated at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will appear only once in the grand total.</p><p>(4) Participation at intermediate, advanced, and higher levels is a count of learners that participated at those levels at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will only appear once at each level but can appear in the count at more than one level.</p><p><br> Further apprenticeship statistics can be found in the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships statistics’ publication, available at:<a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships" target="_blank"> https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 10/07/2023 13:57:44 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1222066

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Complaints
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Service Complaints his Department received from armed forces personnel 15 to 18; and what the outcome was of those complaints.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	71067
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2020 answer text <p>The Service Complaints (SC) procedure exists to provide recourse to members of the Armed Forces (or those who are subject to Service Law) who are aggrieved due to the actions of either individuals, or the Service as a whole. SCs can cover a range of issues, from allowances and promotions to bullying and harassment. I can confirm that in the last calendar year (1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019), less than five SCs were received from Service Personnel aged 16 - 18. As 16 is the lowest age a person can join the UK Armed Forces, there were no SCs from those aged 15. Due to the figure being less than five (this has been rounded to comply with data protection), the outcomes cannot be given, to protect the identities of those concerned.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 14/07/2020 07:11:36 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1601469

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel took on (a) second jobs and (b) other additional work in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	158939
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>The requested information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 09/03/2023 11:23:40 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1603917

	registered interest
	date	14/03/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel took on (a) second jobs and (b) other additional work in the last two months.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	165266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2023 answer text <p>The requested information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.</p><p><br> Secondary employment and rules governing this are managed on a single Service basis and vary between Services. Generally, Service personnel are not prohibited from having second jobs when off-duty or on leave. Permission to take up a second job rests with the Service person’s Commanding Officer and is granted on a case-by-case basis. Any such permission is approved and reviewed locally, with the information held within each chain of command. Due to the size of the Armed Forces and the number of chains of command it is not practical to manage this process or collate this information centrally. The exercise required to produce an overall figure would incur disproportionate cost. <br> <br> Beyond any formal additional or secondary employment there is no requirement for personnel to report “other additional work” and no record of this is held by the Ministry of Defence. If a Service Person chooses to undertake informal work in their own time, for example making and selling something, this would not count as formal employment and, therefore, would not need approval or be brought to the attention of Defence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 165268 question first answered 20/03/2023 12:10:11 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1603920

	registered interest
	date	14/03/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2023 to Question 158939 on Armed Forces: Employment, whether his Department regularly (a) collects and (b) reviews information on (i) second jobs and (ii) other additional work taken up by armed forces personnel.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	165268
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2023 answer text <p>The requested information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.</p><p><br> Secondary employment and rules governing this are managed on a single Service basis and vary between Services. Generally, Service personnel are not prohibited from having second jobs when off-duty or on leave. Permission to take up a second job rests with the Service person’s Commanding Officer and is granted on a case-by-case basis. Any such permission is approved and reviewed locally, with the information held within each chain of command. Due to the size of the Armed Forces and the number of chains of command it is not practical to manage this process or collate this information centrally. The exercise required to produce an overall figure would incur disproportionate cost. <br> <br> Beyond any formal additional or secondary employment there is no requirement for personnel to report “other additional work” and no record of this is held by the Ministry of Defence. If a Service Person chooses to undertake informal work in their own time, for example making and selling something, this would not count as formal employment and, therefore, would not need approval or be brought to the attention of Defence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 165266 question first answered 20/03/2023 12:10:11 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1646380

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Empty Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) current and (b) former houses owned by his Department were unoccupied in May 2023; and what was the cost to the public purse of maintaining empty houses owned by his Department in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 financial years.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	190582
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2023 answer text <p>The vast majority of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is leased from Annington Homes Ltd (AHL). Any properties no longer required for Service personnel are handed back to AHL.</p><p> </p><p>The number of unoccupied (void) SFA properties in May 2023, was 9,167 or 19.18% of the c.47,800 total SFA housing stock in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The total void maintenance costs for the four Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) accommodation contracts covering the North, Central, South East and South West regions for Financial Year 2022-23 was £5,902,941. This maintenance cost was for a total of 9,571 void properties at that time.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is only able to provide the cost of maintaining void SFA for the FDIS accommodation contracts which came into force in April 2022. Under the previous National Housing Prime contract, there was no contractual requirement to record maintenance cost data by occupied and void SFA. This was rectified for the FDIS contracts.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 27/06/2023 12:20:19 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

681309

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many women are serving in the tri-service regular and reserve forces.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	62386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2017 answer text <p>The latest UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics at 1 October 2016 shows that 15,280 and 4,890 female personnel were in the UK Regular Forces and Reserve Forces respectively.</p><p>Further information can be found at:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574734/Biannual_Diversity_Statistics_1Oct16.pdf</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 06/02/2017 16:53:29 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

682290

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what mechanisms are in place to support (a) female service personnel and (b) female veterans with mental wellbeing (i) during and (ii) after military service.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	62430
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2017 answer text <p>The Government recognises that Service life can cause stress. We take the mental health of the Armed Forces, both female and male, very seriously and provide a wide range of support and treatments for those who need them. This includes pre and post-operational stress management training, a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments, and initiatives such as Trauma Risk Management. We are also working hard to reduce stigma attached to mental health issues and to encourage Service personnel to come forward.</p><p> </p><p>The provision of veterans’ healthcare including mental healthcare, for both female and male veterans, is primarily the responsibility of the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations who work in close partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Service charities to ensure that veterans get the best possible care.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD also has a part to play and is determined to ensure that all veterans who require help are provided with appropriate support, including through the Veterans UK helpline and website; Veterans Welfare Service and the Veterans Information Service which contacts veterans 12 months after their discharge. Later this year the Veterans Gateway, provided by a consortium of charities led by the Royal British Legion, will be launched providing a one-stop service to better support the veterans’ community and help in accessing public, private and charitable services in the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 07/02/2017 16:57:56 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

682291

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many women serving in the tri-service regular and reserve forces have accessed medical services in relation to concerns about their own mental health in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	62431
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2017 answer text <p>During the 12-month period between 1 October 2015 and 30 September 2016 (latest verified data), a total of 6,115 UK armed services personnel had an initial assessment for a mental health disorder at one of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) specialist Departments of Community Mental Health, or at a MOD-contracted in-patient provider. Of these, 1,188 (19.4%) were female personnel. 1,168 were Regulars, 16 were Reserves, and four were Others (including Military Provost Guard Service).</p><p>These numbers represent all initial attendances at MOD specialist Mental Health Services and not all personnel will have been assessed as having a mental health disorder. In addition, some patients with a mental health condition may have been successfully treated wholly within the primary care setting by their GP or medical officer, without the need for referral to specialist facilities. Data regarding such treatments are not collated centrally.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 06/02/2017 16:59:22 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1357985

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Armed Forces onsite Single Living Accommodation was last upgraded across the Defence Estate.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	53908
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) undertakes repairs and maintenance to its Single Living Accommodation (SLA) across the MOD estate as and when required.</p><p> </p><p>The Single Living Accommodation Model (SLAM) modernisation project, invested £1.2 Billion in SLA in the UK, in improving or creating more than 22,000 bedspaces, over a period of 12 years, completing in 2015.</p><p> </p><p>MOD remains committed to improving the 'Lived Experience' of Service personnel accommodated in SLA and have plans to invest approximately</p><p>£1.5 Billion on upgrades and new-build SLA between 2020 - 2030.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 18/10/2021 11:45:33 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1357986

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Service Family Accommodation for Armed Forces personnel across the country is outside the usual ten mile radius from the duty station.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	53909
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>Approximately 10%, c5,000 of all UK Service Family Accommodation, lies outside the usual 10-mile radius of duty stations. Allocations outside a 10 miles radius must be agreed by the local Commanding Officer.</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 18/10/2021 11:37:47 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1358000

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) Substitute Single Service Accommodation and (b) Substitute Service Family Accommodation meet the standards required.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	53910
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department's management contract for the provision of all substitute accommodation from the private rental market, requires a minimum standard of accommodation to be achieved in line with Departmental specification. All accommodation will meet the Decent Homes Standard as determined by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, at the date of occupancy.</p><p>As part of the standard contract compliance checks, the Department formally approves the use of properties before they are allocated to Service personnel and Families.</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 18/10/2021 12:14:17 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1458306

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what specialist support his Department provides for men in the Armed Forces who have reported sexual assaults during (a) initiation ceremonies and (b) service careers.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	155764
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to the welfare of its people. The Armed Forces promote equity in Service for all those affected by sexual assault and abuse, and there are multiple forms of support and assistance available, both within and external to Defence, for all our personnel, including men and the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities, both during and post-service.</p><p>Whilst in service, available support includes unit welfare officers, the chain of command, and pastoral support via the chaplaincy. Further assistance is also available via the <em>Aurora </em>service which provides confidential independent support to any serving member who is experiencing sexual violence, domestic abuse, or stalking. There is also <em>Togetherall</em>, an independent digital mental health support tool operated by the NHS in partnership with the MOD, through which Service personnel, veterans, and their family members can anonymously access tailored self-help courses.</p><p> </p><p>Independent support is also available via the charitable sector. For example, the <em>Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association</em> (SSAFA) provides help to all Service personnel and veterans with any mental or emotional health concerns. SSAFA can sign-post individuals to specific organisations for further targeted support. There is also <em>The Samaritans</em>, who work with the MOD and other charities to support Serving personnel, veterans, and their families.</p><p> </p><p>For men specifically, examples include The <em>Male Survivors Partnership</em> which offers a free counselling service for men, and those supporting them, who have experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence. Also <em>Survivors UK</em> provide a helpline, face-to-face counselling, and support groups for men who have been raped or sexually abused. For LGBTQ+ personnel,<em> Galop, </em>for instance, operates helplines which facilitate access to caseworker who can design tailored assistance for LGBT+ personnel who have experienced abuse and violence. Also <em>Fighting with Pride</em> also signposts sources of help for LGBTQ+ veterans and work with a wide range of organisations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty grouped question UIN 155765 question first answered 25/04/2022 12:10:03 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1458309

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what independent specialist services are available for victims of sexual assault and abuse from the (a) LGBTQ+ and (b) BAME communities (i) during and (ii) after military service.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	155765
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to the welfare of its people. The Armed Forces promote equity in Service for all those affected by sexual assault and abuse, and there are multiple forms of support and assistance available, both within and external to Defence, for all our personnel, including men and the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities, both during and post-service.</p><p>Whilst in service, available support includes unit welfare officers, the chain of command, and pastoral support via the chaplaincy. Further assistance is also available via the <em>Aurora </em>service which provides confidential independent support to any serving member who is experiencing sexual violence, domestic abuse, or stalking. There is also <em>Togetherall</em>, an independent digital mental health support tool operated by the NHS in partnership with the MOD, through which Service personnel, veterans, and their family members can anonymously access tailored self-help courses.</p><p> </p><p>Independent support is also available via the charitable sector. For example, the <em>Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association</em> (SSAFA) provides help to all Service personnel and veterans with any mental or emotional health concerns. SSAFA can sign-post individuals to specific organisations for further targeted support. There is also <em>The Samaritans</em>, who work with the MOD and other charities to support Serving personnel, veterans, and their families.</p><p> </p><p>For men specifically, examples include The <em>Male Survivors Partnership</em> which offers a free counselling service for men, and those supporting them, who have experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence. Also <em>Survivors UK</em> provide a helpline, face-to-face counselling, and support groups for men who have been raped or sexually abused. For LGBTQ+ personnel,<em> Galop, </em>for instance, operates helplines which facilitate access to caseworker who can design tailored assistance for LGBT+ personnel who have experienced abuse and violence. Also <em>Fighting with Pride</em> also signposts sources of help for LGBTQ+ veterans and work with a wide range of organisations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty grouped question UIN 155764 question first answered 25/04/2022 12:10:03 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1287908

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the new independent body proposed in the Armed Forces Bill will allow people and external organisations to review historical decisions made by the Military Police or Army Legal Services where the survivor thought the investigation into an alleged rape and/or sexual abuse case was unsatisfactory and unjust.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	156410
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>The Armed Forces Bill will create a new regime for complaints against the Service Police. The proposal seeks to create a new statutory police complaints regime that mirrors the framework in place for independent oversight of the civilian police forces in England and Wales.</p><p>The Service Police Complaints Commissioner (SPCC) will oversee the new regime and will have an equivalent role to that carried out by the Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct in England and Wales. The Commissioner will carry out investigations into the most serious allegations against the Service Police and will also have overall responsibility for securing the maintenance of suitable arrangements for making complaints and dealing with other serious matters.</p><p>The new procedures will only relate to the Service Police forces. We are giving careful consideration to how the procedures will work in practice and how the new regime might apply to historic cases. These procedures will be detailed in a set of regulations that will undergo Parliamentary scrutiny before they are formalised.</p><p>The new regime will set out the role of the SPCC, as well as those already responsible for the three Service Police forces as well as the forces themselves. It will not give other people or organisations a role in the new complaints system.</p><p>Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire &amp; Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will be involved in super-complaints about the Service Police, as super-complaints about civilian forces in England and Wales are made to HMICFRS. Organisations who might be designated to make such a complaint will be detailed in the super-complaints regulations that will be made in due course.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 25/02/2021 09:27:13 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck