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1203793

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if the Government will publish the reasons for the higher number of deaths from covid-19 among BAME people; and what steps she plans to take to reduce that higher number of deaths.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	59483
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>On 4 June the Government announced the next steps to address the disparities identified in the Public Health England (PHE) Report. As Minister for Equalities, I will be working with the Race Disparity Unit (RDU) and the Department for Health and Social Care to further understand the drivers of disparities. This includes commissioning further data, research and analytical work by the Equality Hub to clarify the scale, and drivers, of the gaps in evidence highlighted by the Report. This vital work will help the government take appropriate evidence-based action to address the disparities.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 23/06/2020 11:27:39 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202830

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Debts: Coronavirus
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 made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report entitled, Coronavirus and personal debt: a financial recovery strategy for households published by Stepchange in June 2020; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	58714
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government notes this report and contents. It has introduced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised which benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes, part of an injection to welfare worth over £6.5bn, include:</p><ul><li>making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;</li><li>increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;</li><li>temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants;</li><li>making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and</li><li>increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</li></ul><p>These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/06/2020 13:07:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202831

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Debts: Coronavirus
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 the implications for her policies of the recommendations of the Stepchange report Coronavirus and personal debt: a financial recovery strategy for households, published June 2020, on ending the five week wait for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	58715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2020 answer text <p>The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of the design and the current advance system works, and works quickly. It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made, as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated.</p><p> </p><p>Advances are in place to ensure financial support is available to those in need as soon as possible, with most claimants able to request an advance of up to 100% of the monthly amount they are due to receive.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 19/06/2020 13:58:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202389

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the additional £63 million funding for the Welfare Assistance Fund announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 June 2020 is being funded; when it will become available; and for how long that funding will be made available.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	57984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57985 57987 57988 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202391

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the additional £63 million funding for the Welfare Assistance Fund announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 June 2020 will be made available to local authorities in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	57985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57984 57987 57988 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202393

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter of 13 May 2020 from the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts, reference NG12034.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	57986
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The Honourable Member’s correspondence was transferred from Number 10 to HM Treasury on 18 May. The Treasury responded via email on 11 June.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 15/06/2020 14:02:31 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202394

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 10 June 2020 of a £63 million welfare assistance fund in response to the covid-19 outbreak, how her Department plans to distribute that fund among local authorities; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	57987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57984 57985 57988 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202395

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes: Migrants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 10 June 2020 of a £63 million welfare assistance fund in response to the covid-19 outbreak, whether people who have no recourse to public funds will be eligible for that fund in each local authority; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	57988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57984 57985 57987 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1201330

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Istanbul Convention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Home Office, when the Government plans to ratify the 2012 Istanbul Convention on violence against women and girls.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	56004
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government takes its international commitments very seriously and we have always been clear on our commitment to ratify the Istanbul Convention.</p><p> </p><p>The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017 requires Ministers to publish annual reports on their progress towards being able to ratify the Convention. The most recent report was published on 31 October 2019 and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/843509/CCS0919132732-001_Istanbul_Convention_2019_Report_Option_A_Web_Accessible.pdf</p><p> </p><p>Legislation needs to pass before we can ratify the Convention, so at this stage we cannot be sure what the timeframe for ratification will be. When this is clear we will set out a timeframe for ratification. The Domestic Abuse Bill had its Second Reading on 28 April and has now begun Committee stage for detailed scrutiny by MPs. Part 6 of the Bill includes provisions for the purposes of Article 44 of the Convention, which requires that criminal courts in the UK have extraterritorial jurisdiction over certain violent and sexual offences. Additionally, the Domestic Abuse and Family Proceedings Bill currently before the Northern Ireland Assembly provides for a new domestic abuse offence which would criminalise psychological violence in Northern Ireland, as required by Article 33 of the Convention. That Bill also takes extraterritorial jurisdiction in respect of the new offence and so, together with the provisions of Part 6 of the Domestic Abuse Bill, will ensure that the law in Northern Ireland meets the requirements of Article 44.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 11/06/2020 07:47:54 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1196393

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Financial Services: Codes of Practice
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the pause in the Financial Conduct Authority's consultation on Guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers on (a) people living with cancer and (b) other vulnerable consumers; and what steps he is taking to support those people.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	48468
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to doing whatever it takes to get our nation through this crisis and that includes supporting the most vulnerable in our society. To this end, the Government continues to work closely with financial services regulators as part of the economic response.</p><p> </p><p>The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has introduced measures supporting consumers in financial difficulty at this time, and requires firms to prioritise vulnerable consumers, including those with poor health.</p><p> </p><p>In response, firms across the financial services sector have announced a range of measures to support vulnerable customers and the Government is working with the FCA to ensure there is continued support. For example, many firms have methods for trusted third-parties to access cash for vulnerable/self-isolating people, as well as setting up dedicated phone lines to support them.</p><p> </p><p>Since the COVID-19 crisis has developed, the Government has also worked closely with the FCA on the introduction of payment deferral periods to provide support to consumers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the FCA consulted on draft guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable consumers in July 2019, which may be useful to firms at this time. This guidance focuses on firms’ considering and meeting the needs of vulnerable customers and embedding this thinking in their culture, practices, and processes throughout the whole consumer journey, from product design to customer service. The second consultation in March was postponed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The FCA are currently developing their understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting vulnerable consumers and how it should influence their policy approach. As part of this they are considering how and when to restart the vulnerability guidance consultation.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 02/06/2020 06:53:39 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray