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1352153

registered interest
date	13/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to expand eligibility to refugee family reunion for Afghan refugees in the UK to sponsor their (a) adult dependent children, (b) parents and (c) siblings.
tabling member constituency	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
tabling member printed	Ian Blackford
uin	41898
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>The Government’s refugee family reunion policy allows a partner and children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Afghan nationals recognised as refugees or with humanitarian protection in the UK, including those who will be resettled here under the new Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, can sponsor qualifying family under this route. In the year ending June 2020, over 200 Afghan nationals came to the UK under the family reunion policy, including 130 children.</p><p>There are separate provisions in the Rules to allow extended family to sponsor children to come here where there are serious and compelling circumstances. Refugees can also sponsor adult dependent relatives living overseas to join them where, due to age, illness or disability, that person requires long-term personal care that can only be provided by relatives in the UK.</p><p>Our policy makes clear that there is discretion to grant visas outside the Immigration Rules, which caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances.</p><p>There are additional safe and legal routes for people to come to the UK should they wish to join family members here, work or study.  They would need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they were applying to qualify for a visa.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/09/2021 14:36:08 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4390 label Biography information for Ian Blackford

1354305

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what most recent financial estimates the Church of England holds on the outstanding cost of fabric repairs to its parish churches.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	45956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Fluctuating material costs and the availability of specialist workers affect cost estimates significantly, so it is difficult to give a precise figure.</p><p>It is estimated, based on available architectural inspections and costed works, that the outstanding capital cost of all repairs over the next five years is close to £1bn for our 16,000 parish churches, or around £200m a year.</p><p>At best parishes currently raise and spend approximately half of that annually, so there remains a significant and growing maintenance deficit on these beautiful and treasured buildings.</p><p>England’s Anglican cathedrals were surveyed in 2019 to establish their repair and maintenance liabilities and from that it is estimated that these 42 buildings require £140m in the next five years in maintenance and repair. This estimate does not include precinct properties.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/09/2021 17:08:29 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1354306

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
answering body	Church Commissioners
answering dept id	9
answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
hansard heading	Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church of England spent on the maintenance and repair of its parish churches in the financial year 2019-20.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	45957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>A comprehensive record of maintenance and repair spend is not held centrally, as all parishes operate as independent entities. However it is estimated that parish communities spent at least £130m a year pre-pandemic on church building projects, including repair and maintenance, conservation of collections such as manuscripts, silver and textiles, improvements to accessibility and environmental sustainability, and inclusion of community facilities such as toilets and kitchens. Specialist building firms, craftspeople, archaeologists, conservators and others rely on churches to provide them with work and a training ground for passing their skills on to apprentices and trainees.</p><p>The vast majority of this money is raised locally and we are grateful to national bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Churches Trust, Wolfson Foundation and Pilgrim Trust, who continue to provide essential grants. The overall maintenance deficit continues to grow since the ending of the dedicated places of worship repair scheme in 2017.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 13/09/2021 17:14:39 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1353751

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	Palestinians: Development Aid
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 the 2020-21 Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and the Palestinian Authority, whether his Department undertook an assessment in 2020-21 of whether there had been a breach of the commitments in that memorandum by the Palestine Authority.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	45062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have a regular dialogue with the PA in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. We continue to assess the PA's commitment to peace in line with our Partnership Principles and we assess that the PA continues to demonstrate a credible commitment to our agreements.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 13/09/2021 15:58:31 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1353752

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Cybersecurity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has with the National Cyber Security Centre to tackle growing cyber crime in the next five years.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	45052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>As technology develops, so too do opportunities for cyber criminals to target the UK. The arrival of 5G and the Internet of Things will create multiple new vulnerabilities, including inside people’s homes. ‘Deep Fake’ technology provides opportunities for fraud and identity theft or for exploitation and extortion. We need to confront these crimes and develop and improve technological safeguards so that citizens never become victims.</p><p>As we made clear in the Beating Crime Plan published earlier this year, we are working across government to deliver improvements to the UK’s cyber resilience and ensure we stay ahead of cyber criminals. We have invested £195 million over the last five years to establish a specialist cyber law enforcement network to disrupt and prosecute cyber criminals and support victims in response and recovery. We are developing a campaign to confront the growing threat of ransomware and to disrupt cyber criminals based overseas.</p><p>We will publish a new National Cyber Security Strategy later this year. The Strategy will drive significant improvements in the UK’s response to cybercrime. It will strengthen the Law Enforcement response and drive greater collaboration with the National Cyber Centre and the National Cyber Force</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 13/09/2021 13:57:50 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1353757

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	Courier Services: Fees and Charges
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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of the application of consumer protection regulations to couriers' disbursement fees; and what discussions he has had with representatives of the CMA on the level of disbursement fees charged by couriers to recipients of packages.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	45119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Delivery charges are agreed between the retailer and the delivery/courier company. These are commercial decisions. We already have robust consumer legislation in place to ensure that when making a purchase online, retailers provide clear and upfront information about delivery charges and restrictions before the consumer makes a purchase. Breaches of the legislation should be reported in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133, or <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/" target="_blank">https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 13/09/2021 14:54:57 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1353759

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	Jobcentres
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to resume face-to-face appointments at job centres in the next three months.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	45256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for anyone who needed face-to-face support. From April, Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 13/09/2021 12:53:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1353760

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	National Insurance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time from the point of application for a person to obtain a National Insurance number.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	45257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Demand for the National Insurance Number (NINo) service is currently high with the average time taken to process applications around 13 weeks. The Department is currently recruiting and training additional staff to reduce these waiting times.</p><p> </p><p>The Department expedites NINo applications for those who require one in order to receive Social Security Benefits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2021 14:53:56 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1353761

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	Afghanistan: Asylum
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 his oral contribution of 6 September 2021, Official report, column 43, to which scheme the 500 special cases of Afghans evacuated from Kabul have been assigned.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	45258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>The 500 special cases have been welcomed into the UK as part of Operation Warm Welcome and it is intended that they will be resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 13/09/2021 16:12:32 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

1353762

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	Afghanistan: Development Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 September 2021, Official report, column 43, whether the £30 million of support allocated to Afghanistan's neighbours is part of the £286 million in aid for the people of Afghanistan announced by the Government on 19 August 2021.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	45259
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Total UK aid to Afghanistan this year is now £286 million, one of our largest bilateral programmes. On 3 September we announced £30m (from the £286m) of life-saving aid to Afghanistan's neighbouring countries to help those who choose to leave Afghanistan as part of the Government's efforts to support regional stability. £10 million will be made available immediately to humanitarian partners, such as the UNHCR, to enable essential supplies such as shelters to be despatched to the Afghan borders as well as setting up sanitation and hygiene facilities. A further £20 million will be allocated to countries that experience a significant increase in refugees to support reception and registration facilities and provide essential services and supplies.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 13/09/2021 16:08:20 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran