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1233828

registered interest
date	14/09/2020
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	Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) tackle unemployment and (b) promote job retention in the tourism and hospitality sector.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	905930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes have provided unprecedented support to the tourism and hospitality sector</p><p> </p><p>The August 2020 statistics[1] show that the accommodation and food services sector has seen 77% of employments furloughed, with over £4.7 billion claimed through CJRS. 87% of employers in this sector have furloughed at least one employment.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>By midnight on 31 August more than 100 million meals were eaten by diners as part of Eat Out to Help Out, with the 84,700 establishments signed up to the scheme making 130,000 claims worth £522 million[2].</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For those in the sector that have unfortunately been made unemployed, I am working with colleagues from across government to ensure these people can access support to pivot into sectors where jobs are available.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, my department is working closely with other government departments, external organisations and local partners to support people into work. The Kickstart scheme was recently announced to help young people aged 16-24 find 6-month work places, while the start of Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) and Job Finding Support Service will follow.</p><p> </p><p>As my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in his Plans for Jobs statement[3] in July, DWP is also doubling the number of work coaches in Job Centres to help provide the urgent support needed for jobseekers to find work, including those in the tourism and hospitality sector.</p><p> </p><p>As well as this, DWP designed two websites that were launched in April, Jobhelp and Employer Help, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising both a radically different labour market as some sectors contract and others expand. Jobhelp[4] offers job search advice, showcases recruiting sectors and signposts to job vacancies to help people successfully find work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020</a></p><p> </p><p>[2] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-diners-eat-100-million-meals-to-protect-2-million-jobs" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-diners-eat-100-million-meals-to-protect-2-million-jobs</a></p><p> </p><p>[3] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/a-plan-for-jobs-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/a-plan-for-jobs-2020</a></p><p>[4] <a href="https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 14/09/2020 17:03:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1233829

registered interest
date	14/09/2020
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	Kickstart Scheme: Small Businesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps she is taking to encourage SMEs to participate in the Kickstart scheme.
tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
uin	905948
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>We are determined that small businesses play a key part in the Kickstart Scheme. We are actively encouraging a range of organisations to step forward as intermediaries, this includes the Chambers of Commerce, Local Authorities and charities – so they can support small employers offer Kickstart roles to young people.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 14/09/2020 15:57:17 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

1233347

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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	Employment: Contracts
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 support staff who are being forced to renegotiate contracts when the furlough scheme ends.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	88418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>The terms and conditions of employment are for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives). Provided they do not discriminate unlawfully, for example on grounds of race, sex or disability, employers are free to offer the terms and conditions of employment which best suit their business needs.</p><p> </p><p>Once agreed, they form a legally binding contract of employment. While it is always open to either party to seek to renegotiate the terms of the contract, if the employer changes any of the terms without the employee's agreement, the employee may be entitled to seek legal redress. We expect all employers, to treat employees fairly. Depending on the extent and likely impact of the proposed changes, employers should meet with affected employees or their trade union representatives, and explain their case for making the proposed change.</p><p> </p><p>A guidance document which contains more information on the law in this area is available at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/browse/working" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/browse/working</a>. Employees may wish to seek independent legal advice, perhaps from their local Citizens Advice Bureau or law centre, if they are unclear on their contractual position.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 18/09/2020 11:40:46 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1233348

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
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 recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of compliance of large companies with redundancy and recruitment regulatory frameworks during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	88419
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>All employers must continue to comply with the law on redundancy.</p><p> </p><p>Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable, with appropriate equalities considerations. When making redundancies, employers must abide by the law which includes giving a notice period and consulting staff before a final decision is reached. If a company has failed to adequately consult its employees before making them redundant, it may be possible for employees to apply to an Employment Tribunal for a Protective Award.</p><p> </p><p>When recruiting, employers should be fair and objective in their selection of successful candidates and must not discriminate unlawfully, for example on grounds of race, sex or disability.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also introduced new legislation which commenced on 31 July to ensure that furloughed employees who are subsequently made redundant receive statutory redundancy pay, statutory notice pay, unfair dismissal compensation and pay for short-time working based on the employee’s normal pay, rather than their furlough pay (potentially 80% of their normal wage). The Government has always urged employers to do the right thing and not seek to disadvantage furloughed employees who are facing redundancy.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 18/09/2020 11:46:26 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1233349

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
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 ensure that companies that have received funding from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme comply with employment law on recruitment and redundancy processes.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	88420
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>Our guidance to employers using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) makes clear that employees still have the same rights at work. They must continue to comply with employment and equalities laws when using the scheme, including in relation to recruitment, redundancy and dismissal.</p><p> </p><p>Employers should always be fair and objective in their recruitment processes. Provided they do not discriminate unlawfully, for example on grounds of race, sex or disability, they are free to use the recruitment methods that they consider best suit their needs.</p><p> </p><p>Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable, with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.</p><p>The Government has also introduced new legislation which commenced on 31 July to ensure that furloughed employees who are subsequently made redundant receive statutory redundancy pay, statutory notice pay, unfair dismissal compensation and pay for short-time working based on the employee’s normal pay, rather than their furlough pay (potentially 80% of their normal wage). The Government has always urged employers to do the right thing and not seek to disadvantage furloughed employees who are facing redundancy.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 18/09/2020 11:49:53 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1233351

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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: Darlington
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people transitioning from legacy benefits to universal credit in Darlington constituency.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	88398
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2020 answer text <p>We currently spend over £95 billion a year on working age benefits including Universal Credit and remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable in society.</p><p> </p><p>Recent changes to Universal Credit include temporarily increasing the standard allowance by up to £1,040 per year and increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates, including the Shared Accommodation element, so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents benefiting over one million households by £600 a year on average.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit on to Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. Since July 2020, an additional two-week run has been introduced to assist eligible claimants moving from Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB). Advance payments are available so nobody has to wait five weeks for payment.</p><p> </p><p>We are also doubling the number of work coaches across our network of jobcentres, from 13,500 to 27,000, so that every jobseeker receives tailored support to get back on their feet, build skills and move into work</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people will need extra help to successfully establish a claim to Universal Credit. Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, have supported in excess of 250,000 individuals through ‘Help to Claim’ since April 2019, offering tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim and up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. ‘Help to Claim’ is funded by the Department and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face in locations including Jobcentres and Citizen’s Advice offices.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/09/2020 16:08:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1233352

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Shipping: Carbon Emissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the maritime sector on the role that decarbonising the maritime sector can play in reaching net zero by 2050.
tabling member constituency	Harrow East
tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
uin	88293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>The domestic maritime sector falls under the UK’s national net zero target, and in common with the wider economy will need to be decarbonised by 2050 in order to achieve net zero.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has regular meetings with industry and civil society representatives on the issue of decarbonisation, to discuss both domestic Net Zero and the international work to address GHG emissions being undertaken at the International Maritime Organization.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 18/09/2020 13:22:43 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1233353

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer on 20 July 2020 to Question 74468 on Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes, what the source of funding was for Edenred's delivery of the School Food Voucher scheme.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	88255
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2020 answer text <p>The government has taken unprecedented and substantial action to ensure that children do not go hungry as we take measures to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, including in relation to free school meals.</p><p>In the first instance, we asked schools to support eligible pupils at home by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. For circumstances where this was not possible, we also established a national voucher scheme to support schools and families while schools were closed to most pupils.</p><p>The cost of the vouchers issued to parents under the national voucher scheme and the COVID-19 Summer Food Fund were met by Her Majesty’s Treasury.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 17/09/2020 16:52:27 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1233356

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Bahrain: Political Prisoners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to reports of the treatment of political prisoners (a) Sheikh Zuhair Ashoor, (b) Mohamed Sarhan,(c) Mohamed Fakrawi, (d) Ali Al-Wazir and (e) Sadiq Al-Qasra in Jau Prison, Bahrain, if he will make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on the (i) conditions in detention and (ii) treatment of those prisoners.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	88254
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government of Bahrain has made clear that access to appropriate medical care for those in detention continues to be guaranteed, which means under normal circumstances that any prisoner wishing to see a doctor is taken to the prison clinic, with referral to specialist facilities where required; but that as part of Bahrain's COVID-19 precautions, all initial medical consultations now take place via video calls. Where necessary, physical appointments with external medical specialists continue to be available, although, in line with guidance issued by the World Health Organization, prisoners seeing external specialists are required to isolate for 10 days in a separate detention facility before returning to prison ensuring the safety of both patients and medical staff. We welcome these assurances from the Government of Bahrain, urge continued transparency and would encourage those with any concerns about treatment in detention to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 18/09/2020 13:03:51 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

1233357

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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	Renewable Energy: Contracts
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 estimate he has made of the number of (a) offshore wind, (b) onshore wind and (c) solar sites which could bid into Contract for Difference Auction Round 4.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	88421
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government considers a range of matters when setting the parameters for Contracts for Difference auctions, including the anticipated pipeline of eligible projects. We will publish allocation round parameters in advance of the next auction in 2021, when assessments of the potential volume of participants can be informed by the most current information on project pipelines.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 16/09/2020 12:49:28 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford