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1415988

registered interest
date	24/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Personal Care Services: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support the Government has put in place for beauty salons affected by Plan B covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>In December, Government announced a generous £1 billion package of support for business and their employees to help them manage the effects of the rapid surge of Omicron and bounce back quickly.</p><p> </p><p>The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme, announced on 21 December, is intended to provide targeted support for the food and beverage, accommodation and leisure sectors which offer in-person services. This action was taken to support businesses impacted by the Omicron variant, which led to the public voluntarily restricting their social mixing and reports that many businesses in these sectors had lost 40-60% of their December trade. Personal Care services are not eligible for this scheme.</p><p> </p><p>However, in recognition that other businesses outside the scope of this grant may have been impacted, local authorities in England also received a top-up worth a total of £102 million to their Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund. Distribution of ARG funds is at the local authority's discretion.</p><p> </p><p>Due to the balanced and proportionate approach taken by the Government in response to the Omicron variant, Cabinet has decided to return to Plan A in England.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 31/01/2022 16:44:38 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1415817

registered interest
date	24/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure people understand the financial consequences of using buy now, pay later services to fund purchases.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110647
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>HM Treasury regularly monitors changes in the consumer credit market as part of the normal process of policy development.</p><p> </p><p>The Woolard Review into the unsecured credit market found several potential risks of consumer detriment from interest-free Buy-Now Pay-Later products, including the absence of information given to consumers about features of Buy-Now Pay-Later agreements. The Government recognises those risks, but also notes that as an interest-free product, Buy-Now Pay-Later can often be lower-risk than other forms of borrowing and a useful tool to help consumers manage their finances. That is why, on 2 February 2021, the Government announced its intention to regulate Buy-Now Pay-Later products in a proportionate manner.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published a consultation on policy proposals for the regulation of Buy-Now Pay-Later on 21 October 2021, which closed on 6 January. The consultation included proposals to apply Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on pre-contract disclosure and adequate explanations to Buy-Now Pay-Later agreements. These rules require firms to make adequate pre-contractual explanation to ensure the customer is in a position to assess whether the agreement is suitable for their needs and financial situation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is now reviewing responses to this consultation and considering next steps and intends to publish a consultation response in the spring.</p><p> </p><p>HMT does not hold information regarding the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who have been referred to debt collection agencies by Buy-Now Pay-Later in the last 12 months, or the amount collected in late payment fees by the Buy-Now Pay-Later sector in each of the last three years. Instead, HMT draws on the research of various stakeholders including consumer groups and the wider financial services industry.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 110322 110323 110324 110325 110326 question first answered 31/01/2022 16:29:27 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1416310

registered interest
date	25/01/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Health and Social Care Bill proposals on joint working between local authorities, the police and health authorities on safeguarding children.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2022 answer text <p>Safeguarding children requires strong multi-agency arrangements. This statutory duty is equally shared between local authorities, health and police. The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office and key sector stakeholders to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority under the Health and Social Care Bill. We are also working to assure that the needs of children and young people stay central to decision-making within these new multi-agency arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 02/02/2022 12:38:30 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1416311

registered interest
date	25/01/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Home Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s response to the Education Committee’s Third Report on Strengthening Home Education, published on 26 October 2021, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to create a statutory register including home educated children, based on the Government's response to the Committee’s report.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2022 answer text <p>The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we intend to legislate for it at a suitable opportunity. We will set out further details in the government response to the ‘Children Not in School’ consultation, which we will publish in coming weeks.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 02/02/2022 16:36:09 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1416968

registered interest
date	26/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Local Press
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to ensure that local authorities can place statutory notices with digital-only news outlets, particularly in communities that do not have printed news outlets.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	112537
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2022 answer text <p>The Government is mindful of the potential effect that any changes to the existing publicity requirements for statutory notices might have on transparency and local democracy, as well as the potential effect on the sustainability of the local news sector as a whole. We recognise the continued importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve and that there will continue to be a need to reach out to people who cannot digitally access information. We currently have no plans to change the statutory duty to publish statutory notices.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 03/02/2022 17:50:39 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1418677

registered interest
date	01/02/2022
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	Housing: Energy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to financially assist those people living in listed and older properties to insulate their homes to be energy efficient.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	115875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>The Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy set out a comprehensive package of measures to retrofit the nation’s buildings. Alongside this the Government announced more than £3.9 billion of new funding for decarbonising heat and buildings<strong>, </strong>bringing the total commitment in this Parliament to £6.6billion.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this, the Government has a number of grant schemes to support people on low incomes to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. These schemes include the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, the Home Upgrade Grant and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. In addition, the Government has committed to extending the Energy Company Obligation from 2022 to 2026, boosting its value from £640 million to £1 billion a year. This will help an extra 305,000 households with green measures such as insulation.</p><p> </p><p>Measures delivered through Government schemes must meet independent installation standards; these standards ensure that measures are installed correctly in different types of homes.</p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 09/02/2022 18:01:38 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1421196

registered interest
date	09/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Regional Planning and Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting (a) Levelling Up Essex and (b) other local levelling up strategies as part of his plan to level up the country.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	121722
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will spread opportunity more equally across all parts of the UK, including Essex. The government’s plan is underpinned by 12 ambitious missions that will serve as an anchor for policy across government, as well as catalysing innovation and action by local partners.</p><p>On ‘Levelling Up Essex’, ‘Everyone’s Essex’, and other local strategies, the government recognises that levelling up is a collective endeavour. Success in closing spatial disparities across Essex will rely on input, buy-in and partnership with local stakeholders.</p><p>The White Paper highlights how Essex is already benefiting from investments to boost living standards, spread opportunity, restore local pride and empower local leaders. These include the government’s commitment to develop a new integrated, high-tech healthcare campus to replace the ageing Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, as well as providing a new Institute of Technology at South Essex College. Basildon, Harlow and Southend-on-Sea will also receive expert support from the High Street Task Force.</p><p>To date, Essex has also benefited from £19.9 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support the fishing industry at Leigh-on-Sea and to enhance the visitor offer along Southend seafront. Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have also received a combined £5.6 million from the Community Renewal Fund to help support local areas to pilot imaginative new approaches, including a pilot with Harlow College to support economically inactive, unemployed and employed adults, and a project to develop the capacity of Harlow-based organisations through the Harlow Local Procurement Portal.</p><p>Communities in the East of England are set to benefit from the Thames Freeport and Freeport East, and government is also backing the Thames Estuary Growth Board. Government has invested £23.7 million through the Towns Fund to regenerate Harlow and address transport connectivity challenges within the town, with a further £60.9 million from the Fund awarded to Colchester, Grays and Tilbury.</p><p>Going forwards, local authorities in Essex will also be able to bid for further funding through the second round of the Levelling Up Fund and use the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to further support Levelling Up priorities in the region. Finally, the White Paper sets out for the first time a clear framework for devolution in England, supporting areas to develop devolution proposals which demonstrate effective leadership and sensible geography.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien grouped question UIN 121723 121725 question first answered 25/02/2022 14:40:57 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1421197

registered interest
date	09/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Regional Planning and Development: Essex
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that deprived areas of Essex will be supported through proposals in the Levelling Up White Paper.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	121723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will spread opportunity more equally across all parts of the UK, including Essex. The government’s plan is underpinned by 12 ambitious missions that will serve as an anchor for policy across government, as well as catalysing innovation and action by local partners.</p><p>On ‘Levelling Up Essex’, ‘Everyone’s Essex’, and other local strategies, the government recognises that levelling up is a collective endeavour. Success in closing spatial disparities across Essex will rely on input, buy-in and partnership with local stakeholders.</p><p>The White Paper highlights how Essex is already benefiting from investments to boost living standards, spread opportunity, restore local pride and empower local leaders. These include the government’s commitment to develop a new integrated, high-tech healthcare campus to replace the ageing Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, as well as providing a new Institute of Technology at South Essex College. Basildon, Harlow and Southend-on-Sea will also receive expert support from the High Street Task Force.</p><p>To date, Essex has also benefited from £19.9 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support the fishing industry at Leigh-on-Sea and to enhance the visitor offer along Southend seafront. Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have also received a combined £5.6 million from the Community Renewal Fund to help support local areas to pilot imaginative new approaches, including a pilot with Harlow College to support economically inactive, unemployed and employed adults, and a project to develop the capacity of Harlow-based organisations through the Harlow Local Procurement Portal.</p><p>Communities in the East of England are set to benefit from the Thames Freeport and Freeport East, and government is also backing the Thames Estuary Growth Board. Government has invested £23.7 million through the Towns Fund to regenerate Harlow and address transport connectivity challenges within the town, with a further £60.9 million from the Fund awarded to Colchester, Grays and Tilbury.</p><p>Going forwards, local authorities in Essex will also be able to bid for further funding through the second round of the Levelling Up Fund and use the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to further support Levelling Up priorities in the region. Finally, the White Paper sets out for the first time a clear framework for devolution in England, supporting areas to develop devolution proposals which demonstrate effective leadership and sensible geography.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien grouped question UIN 121722 121725 question first answered 25/02/2022 14:40:57 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1421198

registered interest
date	09/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Regional Planning and Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to (a) assess and (b) take account of the level of need in local communities when determining the areas of focus in the Government's Levelling Up White Paper.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	121724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>The<em> Levelling Up the United Kingdom</em> White Paper provides a clear plan to level up every corner of the UK, by addressing the spatial disparities that exist within and between regions. The White Paper sets out a detailed policy programme to deliver on the 12 levelling up missions and wider levelling up objectives, particularly in those places that have been left behind.</p><p>Essex will benefit from a number of policies targeted at local communities, as set out in the White Paper. For example, Basildon, Harlow and Southend-on-Sea are part of the next group of local authorities to receive expert support from the High Streets Task Force to regenerate their high streets. Essex is also one of the areas set to benefit from the greatest uplift in funding compared with 2021-22 from the updated allocation formula for the Supporting Families programme. A new Institute of Technology, specialising in delivering higher technical education, will be developed in partnership with South Essex College.</p><p>Additionally, the ONS is making publicly available a Levelling Up Subnational Data Explorer aimed at local users and decision makers, making it easier for them to extract insight from a wide range of local authority level data on economic and social outcomes in their area. This will ensure future policies continue to be targeted at areas with the highest need.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 25/02/2022 14:42:08 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1421199

registered interest
date	09/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Regional Planning and Development: Essex
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government's levelling up agenda will support local plans for levelling up including those set out in Everyone’s Essex.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	121725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will spread opportunity more equally across all parts of the UK, including Essex. The government’s plan is underpinned by 12 ambitious missions that will serve as an anchor for policy across government, as well as catalysing innovation and action by local partners.</p><p>On ‘Levelling Up Essex’, ‘Everyone’s Essex’, and other local strategies, the government recognises that levelling up is a collective endeavour. Success in closing spatial disparities across Essex will rely on input, buy-in and partnership with local stakeholders.</p><p>The White Paper highlights how Essex is already benefiting from investments to boost living standards, spread opportunity, restore local pride and empower local leaders. These include the government’s commitment to develop a new integrated, high-tech healthcare campus to replace the ageing Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, as well as providing a new Institute of Technology at South Essex College. Basildon, Harlow and Southend-on-Sea will also receive expert support from the High Street Task Force.</p><p>To date, Essex has also benefited from £19.9 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support the fishing industry at Leigh-on-Sea and to enhance the visitor offer along Southend seafront. Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have also received a combined £5.6 million from the Community Renewal Fund to help support local areas to pilot imaginative new approaches, including a pilot with Harlow College to support economically inactive, unemployed and employed adults, and a project to develop the capacity of Harlow-based organisations through the Harlow Local Procurement Portal.</p><p>Communities in the East of England are set to benefit from the Thames Freeport and Freeport East, and government is also backing the Thames Estuary Growth Board. Government has invested £23.7 million through the Towns Fund to regenerate Harlow and address transport connectivity challenges within the town, with a further £60.9 million from the Fund awarded to Colchester, Grays and Tilbury.</p><p>Going forwards, local authorities in Essex will also be able to bid for further funding through the second round of the Levelling Up Fund and use the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to further support Levelling Up priorities in the region. Finally, the White Paper sets out for the first time a clear framework for devolution in England, supporting areas to develop devolution proposals which demonstrate effective leadership and sensible geography.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien grouped question UIN 121722 121723 question first answered 25/02/2022 14:40:57 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon