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
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1460018

registered interest
date	25/04/2022
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	Royal Mail: Regulation
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 help ensure that Ofcom takes effective and timely regulatory action in relation to Royal Mail when required.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	159039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom is preparing to review Royal Mail’s performance for the 2021/22 financial year and has stated that it will not hesitate to act where necessary.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s sets out its strategic priorities and desired outcomes for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum and postal services in the Statement of Strategic Prioritise which is available online at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-strategic-priorities" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-strategic-priorities</a>. Ofcom is required to have regard to the Statement when exercising its regulatory functions.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 28/04/2022 09:13:53 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459173

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Driving Tests: Waiting Lists
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on tackling the backlog of practical driving test appointments.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157476
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.</p><p>These include:</p><ul><li>offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners;</li><li>asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests;</li><li>conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends; and</li><li>asking recently retired driving examiners to return to testing.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 26/04/2022 13:48:50 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459221

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
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	Hong Kong: 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, what steps she is taking to support political prisoners in Hong Kong who have British citizenship.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157477
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>We do not comment on individual cases. However the support we can, and cannot, provide to British nationals abroad is set out in Support for British nationals abroad: A guide, available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-britishnationals-abroad-a-guide). The help we can provide to dual nationals will depend on the circumstances and the country of the other nationality agreeing to it.</p><p>We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society. As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, we will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their rights and freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.</p> answering member constituency Cannock Chase answering member printed Amanda Milling question first answered 26/04/2022 16:08:38 answering member 4454 label Biography information for Dame Amanda Milling
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459225

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
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	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will include a target to reduce the UK’s single use plastic by 50 per cent by 2025 in the Consultation on environmental targets.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/04/2022 11:37:31 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459226

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
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	Plastics: Waste
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban plastic waste exports from the UK by 2025.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>The Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and we plan to consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 27/04/2022 17:04:40 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459227

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
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	Deposit Return 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, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) progress of the implementation of an all-in Deposit Return Scheme for recycling and reuse.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157480
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p><strong></strong>Defra and the devolved administrations are continuing to consider representations received during the recent consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and expect to publish a response in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/04/2022 11:25:18 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459229

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
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	Cosmetics: Chemicals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban the use of (a) butylphenyl methylpropional (lilial) and (b) zinc pyrithione in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157481
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>Under UK REACH – key legislation affecting chemicals in GB - companies must identify and manage the risks presented by the chemicals they manufacture or market in GB. These provisions apply to butylphenyl methylpropional (also known as lilial or lysmeral) and zinc pyrithione.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to introduce further risk management measures under UK REACH for lysmeral or zinc pyrithione at this time. The Health &amp; Safety Executive recently published initial assessments of substances, including lysmeral, that were added to the EU REACH Candidate List for authorisation in 2021. HSE proposed that no action be taken now on lysmeral because, as this substance is used as a fragrance, they assess it as unlikely to be used at high enough concentrations to pose a risk (see <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hse.gov.uk%2Freach%2Fresources%2Fsvhc-assessment-summaries.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cd23c3825bb354d32f3c308da286b01bf%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C637866737302668116%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=nDRRpdsqgpzjE%2FznCTO4ybfew%2BQ2qBcPu%2FXBc8h11NA%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/resources/svhc-assessment-summaries.pdf</a> for further information). However, we will continue to keep lysmeral under review and consider if it is appropriate to prioritise for further action under UK REACH in the future.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that products placed on the GB market are safe, the Government keeps the regulatory framework under review, including the use of specific chemicals in particular cosmetic products. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has responsibility for the regulation of cosmetic products and intend to prohibit the use of lysmeral and zinc pyrithione in these products. To do this OPSS will be laying the necessary statutory instrument before Parliament in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 27/04/2022 18:25:46 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1459230

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Family Courts: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce backlogs in family court cases.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157482
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>We continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on our courts and tribunals system. We invested £250 million to support recovery in our courts in the 2020/21 financial year. This included £76 million to increase our capacity to hear cases in the family and civil courts, as well as in tribunals. The recent Spending Review has also provided £324 million over the next three years to improve waiting times in the civil and family courts, and tribunals.</p><p>We increased Cafcass’ budget by £8.3 million for 2021/22 so that they have more capacity and can manage the additional pressures caused by the pandemic. We also provided Cafcass with an additional £491,000 to support work in the areas of the country where their resources are most under pressure.</p><p>We are maximising sittings from the judicial capacity available to work through our caseload. With the removal of Covid restrictions on 1st April 2022, face-to-face physical capacity is returning to business as usual during April although remote hearings will continue to play a part in the overall recovery effort.</p><p>Last financial year (2021/22) we undertook one of our most ambitious programmes of judicial recruitment ever, so that we can hear as many cases as possible. In the same year we lifted the number of days fee-paid judges can sit from 30 days to 80 for the second year in a row.</p><p>We are also managing demand in the family courts to ensure the capacity can be used most effectively to tackle the outstanding caseload. In March 2021 we launched a Family Mediation Voucher Scheme for those seeking to resolve private law matters relating to a child. Since its introduction, over 7,700 families have successfully used the scheme to access mediation and help resolve disputes outside of court.</p><p>In public family law, the outstanding caseload, by child, stood at 21,800 cases in January 2022. In 2021, average monthly disposals were roughly 200 more than they were in 2020. In private family law, the outstanding caseload, by child, in January 2022 stood at 83,000 cases, below the August 2021 peak of 85,000. In 2021, average monthly disposals were roughly 1,100 more per month than they were in 2020.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 28/04/2022 10:07:22 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1458348

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
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	India: Rohingya
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of reports that Rohingya refugees are being returned to Myanmar by the Government of India; and whether she has made representations on those reports to her Indian counterpart.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	155859
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government has been clear that any Rohingya returns to Myanmar must be voluntary, safe, dignified and in line with UNHCR principles. The Foreign Secretary engages regularly with her Indian counterpart, Minister for External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to discuss important global issues, including most recently during her March 2022 visit to Delhi.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/04/2022 15:28:50 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1458374

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
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, what assessment he has made of the impact on graduate disposable incomes of the increase in student loan interest rates.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	155860
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The government has not yet made a decision on what interest rates will be applied to student loans from September 2022. We will be considering all options over the coming months and will confirm in due course the rates to apply from 1 September.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to student loan interest rates will not increase monthly student loan repayments. Monthly repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change based on interest rates or the amount borrowed. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection.</p><p> </p><p>Over a lifetime, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has made clear that changes in interest rates have a limited long-term impact on repayments. Interest rates affect lifetime repayments only for those who will repay their loans in full within the loan term (or who come very close to doing so), principally high earners and/or those with small loan balances. Currently only 23% of borrowers who enter full-time higher education (HE) next year are forecast to repay their loans in full.</p><p> </p><p>To further protect borrowers, the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. The government monitors student loan rates against the Bank of England’s data series for the effective interest rates on new and existing unsecured personal loans.</p><p> </p><p>We announced in February 2022 that we will be reducing interest rates for new borrowers and so from 2023/24, new graduates will not, in real terms, repay more than they borrow. Alongside our wider reforms, this will help to make sure that students from all walks of life can continue to receive the highest-quality education from our world-leading HE sector.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 25/04/2022 10:43:14 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West