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1140954

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
answering dept id	36
answering dept short name	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
answering dept sort name	Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
hansard heading	Electoral Registration Officers: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will make an assessment of the ability of the Electoral Commission to monitor the performance of electoral registration officers in dealing with electors who (a) have low reading and writing skills, (b) are visually impaired and (c) have learning difficulties.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	280147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>The Electoral Commission sets standards for and monitors the performance of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). These standards have the objective of ensuring that all eligible people are able to participate in the electoral process.</p><p>The Commission provides guidance to EROs to support them in delivering their functions and meeting the performance standards. In developing this guidance to improve the accessibility of electoral registration services, the Commission works with a variety of disability organisations – including groups representing electors with sight loss and learning difficulties – to ensure its work reflects good practice.</p> answering member constituency Houghton and Sunderland South answering member printed Bridget Phillipson question first answered 05/08/2019 10:32:59 answering member 4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1141139

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Local Government: Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help councils (a) accommodate and (b) process asylum seekers.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	280223
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office ensures that asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, are provided with accommodation and a weekly cash allowance.</p><p>This includes free, furnished accommodation, and we also cover utility costs and provide individuals with a cash allowance to cover other essential living needs. The level of the allowance is reviewed each year.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 24/07/2019 16:03:37 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1141259

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commission research on the effect of levels of functional illiteracy on electoral registration rates.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	280930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2019 answer text <p>In its democratic engagement plan, Every Voice Matters: Building a Democracy That Works For Everyone, the Government explored key barriers to registration identified through research and face to face engagement. We are tackling these barriers, including those faced by survivors of domestic abuse, homeless electors and young people, and have reported on our progress in our follow up report, Democratic Engagement: Respecting, Protecting and Promoting our Democracy.</p><p>Although it did not emerge as a factor in its own right, we are aware of the potential contribution that lack of literacy makes to the under registration of a number of groups, such as those with learning disabilities, homeless people and those with specific language barriers.</p><p>The voter registration website is reviewed regularly to ensure it meets the Government’s service design standards to make it as easy to use as possible and we have produced easy read guides to registering to vote in partnership with Mencap. We are also working with civil society organisations to encourage engagement with those under registered groups who are more likely to experience lower levels of literacy.</p> answering member constituency Hertsmere answering member printed Oliver Dowden question first answered 26/07/2019 13:06:31 answering member 4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1141282

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards
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 he has made of the effect of the increased numbers of people vaping on (a) nicotine addiction, (b) incidences of increased blood pressure and (c) heart attack rates.
tabling member constituency	North East Hampshire
tabling member printed	Mr Ranil Jayawardena
uin	281030
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>Public Health England (PHE) has published a series of reports on electronic cigarettes including the effects of vaping on health. The reports are available to view at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/e-cigarettes-and-vaping-policy-regulation-and-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/e-cigarettes-and-vaping-policy-regulation-and-guidance</a></p><p>While nicotine can contribute to raised blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, it is tar and carbon monoxide, which are the major sources of cardiovascular risk in cigarette smoke, producing nicotine vapour from a solution rather than by burning tobacco means that electronic cigarette vapour is free from almost all the toxic chemicals that accompany nicotine in cigarette smoke.</p><p>The Office for National Statistics has recorded the numbers of people using e-cigarettes since 2014 and the combined number of people using e-cigarettes and smoking has not increased since then. The proportion of people who smoke has decreased substantially in the same period.</p><p>PHE encourages people who both vape and smoke to stop smoking completely, because this greatly reduces health risks.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 05/08/2019 11:25:52 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena

1141293

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Mohammed Abdullah al-Shahi
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Ministers of his Department have seen the Amnesty International statement of 22 May 2019 entitled, Oman: Life Sentence for Prisoner of Conscious on the imprisonment of Mohammed Abdullah al-Shahi.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	281041
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>Officials in London met a UK-based Non-Governmental Organisation to listen to their concerns about the Shihuh and Oman on 15 July. I have also raised this issue with the Omani authorities, as has our Ambassador in Muscat. We are aware that human rights authorities in Oman have responded directly to Amnesty International with a detailed reply regarding one of their reports. Omani authorities have given us the strongest assurances that the individuals concerned were given full legal assistance and treated in accordance with Oman’s constitution and international laws and conventions. There is no evidence of discrimination against the Shihuh more generally, many of whom occupy senior positions in the Omani state and wider society. We continue to monitor developments closely.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 281039 281040 281042 question first answered 30/07/2019 14:47:12 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

1141311

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Exploitation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To Ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2019 to Question 273801 on Child Exploitation, how many children-in-need assessments were undertaken in which criminal exploitation through county lines was identified as a potential risk to the child’s life in each year since 2015.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	281047
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>Regarding the number of children in need assessments undertaken in which criminal exploitation through county lines was identified as a potential risk to the child’s life, the information requested is not held centrally.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Children in Need census, we collect factors identified at the end of the assessment. These factors include trafficking, gangs and child sexual exploitation. However, this information gives no specific indication of county lines involvement or a risk to the child’s life. The information in fact indicates that the child has been referred and assessed by the local authority and that these issues were a factor at the end of assessment.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the number of factors identified at the end of assessment, including trafficking, gangs and child sexual exploitation, is published in table C3 of the ‘Characteristics of children in need’ statistical release, which can be viewed at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Mrs Kemi Badenoch question first answered 02/08/2019 13:03:36 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch previous answer version 131235 answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Mrs Kemi Badenoch answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1141324

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Exploitation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2019 to Question 273801 on Child Exploitation, what plans his Department has to ensure that local authorities monitor the risk of criminal exploitation to children within their area.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	281056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>Further to the answer provided by the former Home Secretary (Sajid Javid), my right hon. Friend, the Member for Bromsgrove, on 15 July, the statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children (2018)’ sets out how the 3 safeguarding partners – the police, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the local authority - should have a clear understanding of the collective needs of children locally when commissioning effective services. These collective needs include the risks of criminal exploitation that are faced by children. In addition, the local authority is under a duty to monitor and report on serious child safeguarding incidents to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.</p><p> </p><p>The safeguarding partners must publish an annual report setting out what they have done as a result of the arrangements, including how effective these arrangements have been in practice. They must also include how they will use data and intelligence to assess the effectiveness of the help being provided to children and families as well as the procedures and processes for cases relating to the abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, including in relation to child criminal exploitation.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the department’s annual ‘Children in Need’ census, local authorities are also required to report to the department on the factors identified at the end of the assessment of children, including trafficking, missing children, gangs and child sexual exploitation, all of which may be related to the risk of child criminal exploitation.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office have provided £3.6 million for the establishment of the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to enhance the intelligence picture and support cross-border efforts to tackle county lines. The NCLCC supports operational policing as well as providing a central point at which intelligence and information is shared and the links with criminal exploitation and illegal drugs markets are identified.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2018, the Director General of the National Crime Agency formally tasked all Chief Constables to direct all forces to implement a more consistent and prioritised intelligence and operational response, in respect of county lines drugs supply, to include the submission of intelligence to the NCLCC and a prioritised response to high-risk lines and gangs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Mrs Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 281117 question first answered 02/08/2019 12:44:18 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1141334

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Social Rented Housing: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to recent English Housing Survey statistics which show that four per cent of local authority housing and 13 per cent of social housing fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of restoring central Government funding for housing providers to enable the remaining non-decent homes to be improved.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	280987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>The Decent Homes Standard has driven improvements to the quality of social housing. Between 2011 and 2016 Government provided a total of £1.76 billion to 45 councils across England to tackle the backlog of non-decent homes, making over 158,000 homes decent.</p><p>Local Authority Housing Statistics show that the proportion of non-decent local authority dwellings was 4 per cent 1 April 2018. The English Housing Survey shows that, in 2017, 13 per cent of social rented homes overall (516,000) were considered non-decent, down from 20 per cent (759,000) in 2010. This is lower than the proportion of private rented (25 per cent) and owner occupied (19 per cent) homes.</p><p>The Social Housing Green Paper asks if there are any changes to what constitutes a decent home that we should consider, and whether we need additional measures to make sure homes are safe and decent. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation.</p> answering member constituency Tatton answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/08/2019 09:39:43 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1141338

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Exploitation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2019 to Question 273801 on Child Exploitation, what plans his Department has to ensure that services can safeguard children at the earliest opportunity.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	281060
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>Further to the answer provided by my hon. Friend, the Member for Louth and Horncastle on 15 July 2019, the statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, titled ‘Working together to safeguard children 2018’, is very clear that anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care. This should be done immediately, if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so. This guidance can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2</a>.</p><p> </p><p>That same guidance also sets out that assessments, including early help assessments, should look at the nature and level of risk faced by a child, and whether the risk is from within or external to the family. In response, local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective, evidence-based services in place to address assessed needs early.</p><p> </p><p>A number of our best performing local authorities, known as Partners in Practice, are testing different approaches to how best to assess and support children who are at risk of abuse from extra familial threats. This includes funding up to £2 million for the London Borough of Hackney to test a contextual safeguarding approach through the Innovation Programme. The project is being externally evaluated and we expect the final report in September 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also funding the ‘Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme’ to provide evidence-based expertise, advice and practical support to safeguarding partners in local areas to develop an effective multi agency response to extra-familial harms, such as child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, and gang and drug involvement that exploit vulnerable children.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Mrs Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 281061 281116 question first answered 02/08/2019 12:22:15 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch previous answer version 131196 answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi answering member 4113
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1141340

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Exploitation
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 need for a contextual safeguarding framework to be used alongside other safeguarding models within the child protection system in order to more effectively identify and support children who are being exploited.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	281061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>Further to the answer provided by my hon. Friend, the Member for Louth and Horncastle on 15 July 2019, the statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, titled ‘Working together to safeguard children 2018’, is very clear that anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care. This should be done immediately, if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so. This guidance can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2</a>.</p><p> </p><p>That same guidance also sets out that assessments, including early help assessments, should look at the nature and level of risk faced by a child, and whether the risk is from within or external to the family. In response, local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective, evidence-based services in place to address assessed needs early.</p><p> </p><p>A number of our best performing local authorities, known as Partners in Practice, are testing different approaches to how best to assess and support children who are at risk of abuse from extra familial threats. This includes funding up to £2 million for the London Borough of Hackney to test a contextual safeguarding approach through the Innovation Programme. The project is being externally evaluated and we expect the final report in September 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also funding the ‘Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme’ to provide evidence-based expertise, advice and practical support to safeguarding partners in local areas to develop an effective multi agency response to extra-familial harms, such as child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, and gang and drug involvement that exploit vulnerable children.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Mrs Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 281060 281116 question first answered 02/08/2019 12:22:15 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch previous answer version 131823 answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi answering member 4113
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed