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1126802

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children's Centres
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to (a) reverse the closure of children's centres and (b) publish a strategy for the long-term expansion of the provision of children's centres.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	254727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>As set out in the government response to recommendation 13 of the Education Select Committee report on tackling disadvantage in the early years, published on 4 April 2019, we are clear that children’s centres have an important role to play in achieving my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s social mobility ambition, but it is right for local authorities to decide how to use them as part of the wider system of local services. The government response can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Correspondence/Government-response-to-committee-9th-report-tackling-disadvantage-in-the-early-years-CP-68.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Correspondence/Government-response-to-committee-9th-report-tackling-disadvantage-in-the-early-years-CP-68.pdf</a>, the select committee report can be accessed here: <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmeduc/1006/1006.pdf" target="_blank">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmeduc/1006/1006.pdf</a>.</p><p>The government’s role is to engage with the sector, find out what works and support local areas to make the right decisions for their communities, which is why we have commissioned the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to examine research and practice evidence with the aim of developing tools to help local authorities make informed choices about their children’s centre provision. The EIF project is part of the Department for Education’s £8.5 million local government programme, which will inform the next steps, including considering any future consultation, on children’s centres. Funding for the local government programme runs until March 2020, with evidence and learning emerging by its conclusion.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 22/05/2019 13:11:22 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1126803

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money has been repaid to the Student Loans Company in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	254787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Statistics covering student loans, debt and repayment are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The statistics are published separately for each government administration. Information on repayments by financial year can be found in table 1 of each of the publications:</p><p><a href="https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The next release in the student loans, debt and repayment series is confirmed for 13 June 2019, which will include repayment statistics for the financial year 2018-19.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 21/05/2019 16:30:13 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1126804

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration: EU Nationals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196233 and with reference to page 14 of the Memorandum of Understanding between HMRC and the Home Office on the EU Settlement Scheme, what is defined as a genuine business need to access data.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	254812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>A genuine business need means only staff at the Home Office and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs who require access to the data to carry out their duties will be granted access.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/05/2019 13:09:40 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1126805

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	South Eastern Rail Franchise
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has withheld consent for Govia to vary the (a) pay and (b) conditions of Southeastern staff under schedule 15.2 of the franchise agreement in relation to the last twelve or thirteen months of the franchise.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Teresa Pearce
uin	254801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Southeastern and the trade unions have agreed pay deals in the last 12 months. Specific details of pay are confidential however Southeastern staff have received an increase of around the level of the Retail Price Index which reflects a real terms increase when compared to the Consumer Price Index and cost of living increases. These pay deals were approved by the Department.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State has made clear that the rail industry should be moving towards using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the inflation measure for pay agreements.</p> answering member constituency Harrogate and Knaresborough answering member printed Andrew Jones question first answered 22/05/2019 10:45:09 answering member 3996 label Biography information for Andrew Jones
tabling member	4003 label Biography information for Teresa Pearce

1126807

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Applications
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 visa applications that have been delayed as a result of his Department's investigations into Life in the United Kingdom testing centres in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Bristol South
tabling member printed	Karin Smyth
uin	254840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/05/2019 13:07:39 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4444 label Biography information for Karin Smyth

1126812

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Port of Dover: Large Goods Vehicles
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 reduce congestion of lorries going to the port of Dover after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	254789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government remains focused on ensuring the UK’s smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible. As a responsible government, we’ve been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for over two years.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Transport has worked closely with the Kent Resilience Forum on developing plans, also known as Operation Brock, to be used as a contingency in the event of cross-Channel travel disruption at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, whatever the cause.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Operation Brock has been designed to ensure that the M20 will be kept open and traffic will continue to flow in both directions. It consists of three phases: a contraflow queuing system on the M20, between Junctions 8 and 9; temporary holding areas at Manston Airfield for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) heading to Europe via the Port of Dover; and, if necessary, temporary holding areas on the M26 (Brock M26) for HGVs heading to Europe via Eurotunnel. The M20 contraflow element will allow non-port traffic to continue to use the M20 in both directions when HGVs are stored on the coast-bound carriageway.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also been taking steps to minimise the number of hauliers and other vehicles arriving at Dover and Eurotunnel without the essential documentation for EU border controls in a no deal scenario. This should help to reduce the risk of significant disruption at ports and on the Kent road network from the introduction of new EU customs processes.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Epsom and Ewell answering member printed Chris Grayling question first answered 21/05/2019 13:29:52 answering member 1413 label Biography information for Chris Grayling
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1126813

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Weapons
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps she is taking to help ensure that weapons used by British armed forces are (a) fit for purpose and (b) modern.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	254790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>As explained in the report on the Modernising Defence Programme published in December 2018, we plan to modernise and transform our Armed Forces by embracing new and innovative technologies to ensure we retain military advantage over potential adversaries and by investing to improve the readiness and availability of defence equipment. We will spend over £186 billion on equipment and support over the decade from April 2018 to March 2028 to ensure that our Armed Forces are fit for the defence and security challenges of the future.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 21/05/2019 15:01:17 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1126815

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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	Novartis: North East Lincolnshire
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 support people affected by the potential closure of the Novartis plant in North East Lincolnshire.
tabling member constituency	Great Grimsby
tabling member printed	Melanie Onn
uin	254841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>DWP offer a Rapid Response Service (RRS). This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with the prospect of redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. This service is available to be deployed in Grimsby and surrounding area should Novartis require support from Jobcentre Plus. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p><p> </p><p>The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Information advice and guidance.</li><li>Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.</li><li>Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and<br> how to apply for them.</li><li>Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour<br> market).</li><li>Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised<br> certification that will improve employability.</li><li>Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or <br> self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel<br> costs etc.</li><li>On-site presentations to those affected.</li><li>Jobs Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.</li></ul> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2019 16:58:43 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 119072 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4464 label Biography information for Melanie Onn

1126816

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of whether there is a need for transitional protection for mixed-age couples that will see eligibility for pension credit and housing benefit affected by transferring to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Preseli Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Stephen Crabb
uin	254779
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couples change will not apply to couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners on 14 May for as long as they remain entitled to either benefit. DWP wrote earlier this year to those mixed age couples already receiving Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners to ensure they know about the change and how they could be affected if their circumstances change on or after 15 May.</p><p> </p><p>Couples who would be eligible for the pension age benefits under the previous rules but have not claimed before 15 May will have up to 13 August to make a backdated claim to 14 May and we encourage them to do so.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/05/2019 15:54:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb

1126817

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Religion
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to improve his Department's ability to assess asylum applications made on the grounds of religious or belief-based persecution.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	254745
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has been working closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them recently to develop and produce a specialist training package.</p><p>The Asylum Learning and Development Team started to deliver the specialist training package on religious claims on Monday 8 April 2019, which will be mandatory for all asylum decision-makers.</p><p>The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance International, European &amp; Domestic law and Home Office policy, when interviewing asylum seekers and making decisions on their claims.</p><p>In order to alleviate any concerns about the way in which vulnerable claims are dealt with, a review has been commissioned to investigate the way claims based on religious grounds and LGBT+ are assessed. The aim and approach of the Review will be to ensure that empathy and religious literacy is considered by Decision Makers when assessing these highly complex claims, acknowledging the impact of their decision whilst ensuring appropriate rigour is applied as these routes can be open to fraudulent claims.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 254746 254747 question first answered 22/05/2019 13:03:17 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis