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1007752

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Bahrain: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made of the implications for Government policy of the concerns expressed by the Committee on Civil and Political Rights on 4 July 2018, in relation to Sayed Ahmed Alwadei and other Bahraini individuals who have reportedly been subjected to reprisals connected to their work alongside the Human Rights Council of the UN.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	191988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>We have received assurances from the Bahraini authorities that there have been no reprisals against the family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei. We encourage those with concerns to report these to the appropriate Bahrain human rights oversight bodies. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 21/11/2018 17:31:48 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1007754

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care: Care Leavers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support foster carers to assist their former fostered children when they leave care.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	191981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>In 2014, the government introduced ‘Staying put: arrangements for care leavers aged 18 years and above’ which allows care leavers to continue living with their former foster carer when they reach age 18: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-put-arrangements-for-care-leavers-aged-18-years-and-above" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-put-arrangements-for-care-leavers-aged-18-years-and-above</a>. This means young people can continue to benefit from a stable and secure family setting, preparing for independence at a more gradual pace and moving into independent living when they are ready, rather than facing a cliff-edge on reaching age 18.</p><p>To support local authorities to implement Staying Put we have provided £68.35 million to date. Funding for 2019/20 will be £23.77 million, and funding beyond 2020 will be subject to future spending reviews.</p><p>The latest data show that for the year ending March 2018, 55% of those ceasing to be looked after in a foster placement on their 18th birthday stayed put with their former foster carer, which is an increase of 4% on the previous year. Furthermore, 31% of 19 year-olds were still with former foster carers on their 19th birthday, and 26% of 20 year-olds still with former foster carers on their 20th birthday. Again, these were both increases on the previous year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 22/11/2018 15:52:47 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1007755

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Taxis: Fares
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of incidents of taxi fare evasion reported to police in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	191982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>The Home Office collects data on police recorded crime, which are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, for the year ending June 2018, can be accessed here:</p><p><a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables</a></p><p>Crimes involving taxi fare evasion will be included within the category of making off without payment along with other incidents such as driving off from a petrol station without paying for fuel and leaving a restaurant without paying the bill. However, from information held centrally it is not possible to identify incidents of taxi fare evasion.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 23/11/2018 13:10:45 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1007756

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Taxis: Fares
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard taxi drivers from taxi fare evaders.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	191983
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The Department’s Best Practice Guidance suggests that signs or notices that set out the expectations of passengers when travelling in a taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) are displayed. This could include that passengers ensure they are aware of the fare on the meter and notify the driver if it is approaching the limit of their financial means. When a fare has been agreed before setting off passengers should ensure they have the means to pay before travelling.</p><p> </p><p>Legislation allows taxi drivers to recover unpaid fares and costs to be recovered should a passenger refuse to pay.</p> answering member constituency Wealden answering member printed Ms Nusrat Ghani question first answered 21/11/2018 12:51:03 answering member 4460 label Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1007757

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
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	Levetiracetam
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the availability of Keppra for people with epilepsy.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	191984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>The United Kingdom’s position on medicines regulation remains clear. We want to retain a close working partnership with the European Union to ensure that medicines remain available to UK patients in a safe and timely manner. We have been clear that this involves us making sure our regulators continue to work together, as they do with regulators internationally. As the Prime Minister has said, we intend to to explore with the EU the terms on which the UK could remain part the European Medicines Agency.</p><p> </p><p>Until we can be certain of the outcome of Brexit negotiations our duty as a responsible Government is to prepare for all eventualities, including ‘no deal’. On 23 August 2018, therefore, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with prescription only or pharmacy medicines from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a no-deal scenario.</p><p> </p><p>Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal Brexit.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that the medicine Keppra is important to many people in this country. However, the Department recognises that through its medicines supply contingency programme it is requesting sensitive commercial information from pharmaceutical companies. To reassure participating companies, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s programme. That means not introducing information about a company, specific medicine or their supply routes into the public domain.</p> answering member constituency Winchester answering member printed Steve Brine question first answered 22/11/2018 11:54:10 answering member 4067 label Biography information for Steve Brine
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1007758

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for reassessment of child maintenance following a change in circumstances.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Laura Smith
uin	191985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>The processing of changes of circumstance remains a key priority for the Child Maintenance Service. The numbers of people working within the Child Maintenance Service is reviewed regularly to ensure we have sufficient resources to answer customer calls and progress cases.</p><p>So far in 2018, we have recruited 835 people into the Child Maintenance Service, with these people joining us between February 2018 and October 2018, and we have plans in place for a further 40 people to join the Child Maintenance Service between November 2018 and January 2019.</p><p>The performance and timeliness of progressing changes to circumstances is under regular review and forms part of our external publication offering. We continue to explore opportunities to introduce improvements and efficiencies within the Child Maintenance Service and we are currently in the process of implementing Real Time Information from HMRC which will ensure that we have access to the latest income information to make efficient changes to assessments.“</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/11/2018 16:33:51 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1007759

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Unitary Councils: Buckinghamshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 1 November 2018, Local Government Update, HCWS 1058, from which businesses and organisations in Buckinghamshire he has received representations on local government reorganisation; and what information his Department holds on the amount of grant funding or financial support those businesses and organisations have received from Buckinghamshire County Council in the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Chesham and Amersham
tabling member printed	Dame Cheryl Gillan
uin	191992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>I received representations on unitarisation in Buckinghamshire from the following local business organisations: Buckinghamshire Business First, Buckinghamshire Business Group, Chiltern Chamber of Commerce, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce; 18 individual local businesses also made representations. Information about grant funding and support provided by local authorities to business organisations is not held centrally. The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publicise specified data on financial transactions including publishing details of all grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 21/11/2018 13:51:10 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
tabling member	18 label Biography information for Dame Cheryl Gillan

1007760

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Unitary Councils: Buckinghamshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities in Buckinghamshire are able to manage the planning process for the development of High Speed 2 Oxford and Cambridge arc during the transition of those authorities to a single unitary council.
tabling member constituency	Chesham and Amersham
tabling member printed	Dame Cheryl Gillan
uin	191845
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The existing councils will continue to fulfil their role until the new council is in place. Subject to Parliamentary approval, implementing secondary legislation will provide that planning for and implementing the transition to the new unitary council is to be the responsibility of the shadow authority and shadow executive. This will include members of the five existing councils. This ensures that expertise will be available from across the area for such key issues such as HS2 and the Oxford-Cambridge arc.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 21/11/2018 13:50:23 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
tabling member	18 label Biography information for Dame Cheryl Gillan

1007763

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Unemployment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department is making on its policy to make work pay.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	191896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit, which is replacing six legacy benefits, provides a single earnings taper rate to ensure claimants are better off working and working more. DWP’s recently published Universal Credit Full Service Survey found an increase in earnings for those in work and on Universal Credit by an average of £600 per year. Additionally, our Universal Credit employment impact analysis (published in September 2017) found that people on Universal Credit are four percentage points more likely to have been in work than JSA claimants</p><p> </p><p>At Autumn Budget 2018, we recently announced a £1000 increase in work allowances from April 2019, which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>To support the transition to Universal Credit for all self-employed people, the Autumn Budget also announced we will be extending the 12-month grace period (the period before the Minimum Income Floor applies) to all gainfully self-employed people, giving claimants time to grow their businesses.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/11/2018 14:59:20 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1007764

registered interest
date	15/11/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to speed up the process of appeals against personal independence payment assessments.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	191897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>It is important that appeals are heard as quickly as possible. The Ministry of Justice recognises that there are delays in the system and is in the process of recruiting extra judicial office holders to help deal with this. In the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) jurisdiction, which is the part of the tribunal system which deals with personal independence payment appeals, 225 new medical members have already been appointed and 119 disability-qualified members have recently been recruited. The SSCS jurisdiction will also benefit from the fact that 250 fee-paid judges and 100 salaried judges are being recruited across tribunals more widely. In addition, we have recently launched a new digital service to enable speedier processing of appeals and provide a better service for all parties to the proceedings. Information on the new digital service can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeals" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeals</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 22/11/2018 16:27:00 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson