Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
type
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1698316

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Audiobooks: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the (a) Government’s policy on charging VAT on audiobooks and (b) provisions of the Equality Act 2010 on people (i) with dyslexia, (ii) with sight loss or impairment and (iii) who are unable to hold books.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	20227
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting those with disabilities who may struggle to access physical books and therefore rely more heavily on audiobooks. In line with its statutory obligations under the Equality Act, the Government carefully considers the impact of VAT policy on those with disabilities</p><p><br>However, there is never any guarantee that any VAT cut is passed onto consumers. It is therefore not clear that cutting the VAT on audiobooks would benefit consumers, including those with disabilities. <br> <br>The government does not currently have any plans to change the VAT treatment of audiobooks.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 16/04/2024 10:48:53 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1698140

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Audiobooks: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made representations to the Minister for Women and Equalities in support of a 0% VAT rate on audiobooks to prevent discrimination against people with (a) dyslexia, (b) sight (i) loss and (ii) impairment and (c) disabilities preventing them from holding a physical book.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	20034
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting those with disabilities who may struggle to access physical books and therefore rely more heavily on audiobooks. In line with its statutory obligations under the Equality Act, the Government carefully considers the impact of VAT policy on those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>However, there is never any guarantee that any VAT cut is passed onto consumers. It is therefore not clear that cutting the VAT on audiobooks would actually benefit consumers, including those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Given this, the government does not currently have any plans to change the VAT treatment of audiobooks.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 20033 question first answered 28/03/2024 13:38:55 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1698139

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Audiobooks: VAT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of charging VAT on (a) academic and (b) other educational audiobooks on access to education for people with (i) dyslexia, (ii) sight loss and (iii) impairment who cannot hold books.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	20033
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting those with disabilities who may struggle to access physical books and therefore rely more heavily on audiobooks. In line with its statutory obligations under the Equality Act, the Government carefully considers the impact of VAT policy on those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>However, there is never any guarantee that any VAT cut is passed onto consumers. It is therefore not clear that cutting the VAT on audiobooks would actually benefit consumers, including those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Given this, the government does not currently have any plans to change the VAT treatment of audiobooks.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 20034 question first answered 28/03/2024 13:38:55 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1675528

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2023
	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	Coronavirus: Vaccination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of allowing people that are not currently eligible for covid-19 booster vaccines to (a) purchase them at an affordable price and (b) receive them free of charge if they are eligible for free prescriptions on levels of people returning to work.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	5266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/12/2023 answer text <p>The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body of independent experts, advises the Government on who should be offered vaccination through the national programme for COVID-19. Vaccination for COVID-19 through the National Health Service is free for those eligible and there are no plans to introduce charges.</p><p>Current COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against serious outcomes but only short-lived protection from mild symptomatic disease. The aim therefore is to offer vaccination to those the JCVI advises are at higher risk of hospitalisation and death. This risk is strongly linked to older age and some specified clinical conditions.</p><p>No recent general assessment has been carried out on the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on absences from work. However, a cost effectiveness assessment has been carried for the groups recommended by the JCVI for autumn 2023 vaccination which includes front line healthcare workers. The analysis for this group explored the potential impact on staff absences due to COVID-19. The available data was insufficient to allow formal conclusions but what data was available suggested that, due to the limited ability of current vaccines to prevent mild illness, vaccination would have only a very modest impact on staff absences. The analysis is published at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/650ade0f52e73c001254dc08/covid-19-autumn-2023-impact-assessment.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/650ade0f52e73c001254dc08/covid-19-autumn-2023-impact-assessment.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>On the advice of the JCVI, NHS eligibility is focussed on those at higher risk of serious outcomes. However, all vaccines that have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for use in the United Kingdom may be prescribed by physicians privately as well as through the NHS. Currently COVID-19 vaccines are not available privately but as is the case for many other vaccines, manufacturers and providers are able to set up a private market alongside the NHS offer when they consider this viable and appropriate. The Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines and is engaging with relevant parties on this.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 27/12/2023 12:21:54 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1664459

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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	Laboratories: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what oversight protocols are in place for biosafety level 4 labs in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	202312
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.</p><p> </p><p>HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 202310 202311 question first answered 18/10/2023 15:54:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1664458

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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	Laboratories: Urban Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many biosafety level 4 labs are located in urban areas in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	202311
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.</p><p> </p><p>HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 202310 202312 question first answered 18/10/2023 15:54:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1664457

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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	Laboratories
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many biosafety level 4 labs are located in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	202310
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.</p><p> </p><p>HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 202311 202312 question first answered 18/10/2023 15:54:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1609133

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will respond to the open letter entitled Pause giant AI experiments: an open letter.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	177714
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>It is important that industry voices are actively engaged in the discourse around responsible AI. British based companies, like Deepmind, are at the forefront of responsible innovation. However, it should be noted that questions have been raised regarding the veracity of some of the signatures of the open letter on Artificial Intelligence published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI). Some of the researchers whose work was cited in the letter have also apparently raised concerns. It is also important to note that the letter is not expressly targeted towards the UK or any other government.</p><p>Government recognises the need to act to adapt the way in which we regulate AI as systems become more powerful, and are put to different use. As Sir Patrick Vallance highlighted in his recent regulatory review, there is a small window of opportunity to get this right and build a regulatory regime that enables innovation while addressing the risks. Government agrees that a collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing AI risk and supporting responsible AI development and use for the benefit of society. The AI regulation white paper we published on 29 March identifies “trustworthy”, “proportionate” and “collaborative” as key characteristics of the proposed AI regulation framework.</p><p>The AI regulation white paper sets out principles for the responsible development of AI in the UK. These principles such as safety, fairness, and accountability are at the very heart of our approach to ensuring the responsible development and use of AI. We will also establish a central risk function to bring together cutting-edge knowledge from industry, regulators, academia and civil society – including skilled computer scientists with a deep technical understanding of AI - to monitor future risks and adapt our approach if necessary. This is aligned with the calls to action in FLI’s letter.</p><p>In addition, our recently announced Foundation Model Taskforce has been established to strengthen UK capability - in a way that is aligned with the UK’s values - as this potentially transformative technology develops.</p><p>The approach to AI regulation outlined in the AI regulation White Paper is also complemented by parallel work on AI Standards, supported by the AI Standards Hub launched in October 2022, and via the Centre for Data Ethics and Innvovation’s AI Assurance Roadmap, published in December 2021. In concert, our holistic approach to AI governance combining regulation with an approach to standards development and AI assurance is in line with efforts to develop shared safety protocols, and will at the same time allow the UK to benefit from AI technologies while protecting people and our fundamental values.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 17/04/2023 09:46:51 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1601409

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Physical Education and Sports
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the School Sport and Activity Action Plan will include a long-term funding commitment for (a) the PE and Sport Premium, (b) the School Games and (c) other aspects of PE and school sport.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	158832
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>​​On 8 March 2023, the Government announced funding to support school sport during the school day and after school, encouraging all schools to deliver a minimum of two hours of PE and sport in their timetable.</p><p>​​This funding announcement included confirmation that the PE and Sport Premium would continue for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, providing over £600 million to primary schools in England. The Government also confirmed £22 million of further funding for the School Games Organiser network for two years, until the 2025 summer term. The Government also confirmed up to £57 million in funding for the Opening School Facilities programme which will support increased after school sport and the provision of swimming.​</p><p>​To improve accountability for the PE and Sport Premium, the Department will issue updated guidance this summer to support schools to use their PE and Sport Premium funding more effectively. In addition, a new digital tool will be introduced for schools to report more easily on their use of the PE and Sport Premium.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 158830 158831 question first answered 14/03/2023 13:47:53 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1506871

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2022
	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	Tidal Power: River Severn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to maximise the potential of tidal flows on the River Severn to generate electricity from (a) barrage or (b) tidal lagoons.
	tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
	tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	51486
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives. Any such proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other low-carbon technologies, as well as details of its associated energy system benefits and environmental impact mitigation strategies before the Government could take a view on its potential case for support.</p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart question first answered 28/09/2022 14:13:41 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
	tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning