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1129722

registered interest
date	05/06/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Blue Badge Scheme: Road Signs and Markings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will encourage local authorities and other parking providers to use standard signage for Blue Badge holders.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	260066
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 prescribe standard signs to indicate disabled badge holder parking spaces on public roads and these must be used by all local authorities in England. Parking providers responsible for car parks may use these signs but there are no plans to make them mandatory.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 12/06/2019 13:00:04 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1129121

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Smoking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the effect of second hand smoke from residential properties on people in neighbouring properties; and whether he has plans to extend the smoking ban to private homes.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	259331
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has made no such assessment. However, the Government remains committed to protecting the public from the harms of smoking and a comprehensive set of tobacco control policies is in place. There are no plans to extend the smoking ban to private homes.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 11/06/2019 15:35:53 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1127458

registered interest
date	20/05/2019
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	Boilers: Natural Gas
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 his Department is taking to implement the Government's proposed ban on the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	256315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/05/2019 answer text <p>By 2025, the Government will introduce a Future Homes Standard for new build homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and world leading levels of energy efficiency, to create healthy homes that are fit for the future, have low energy bills, and are better for the environment. We will explore the details of the planned introduction of the Future Homes Standard within the 2019 consultation on the energy efficiency standards of the Building Regulations.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 28/05/2019 11:42:21 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1123203

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Roads: Construction
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage planners and local authorities to prioritise active travel when building new roads.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	247740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government has recently strengthened the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve consideration of cycling and walking within local development plans. The revised NPPF recommends that planning policies should provide for high quality walking and cycling networks and supporting facilities such as cycle parking, drawing on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs).</p><p> </p><p>The NPPF also states that the environmental impacts of traffic and transport infrastructure should be identified, assessed and taken into account from the earliest stages of plan-making, including appropriate opportunities for avoiding and mitigating any adverse effects, which might include, for example, ensuring that new roads make adequate provision for those who cycle and walk.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 01/05/2019 15:57:57 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1121826

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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	Nuclear Power: Thorium
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 recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of using thorium fuels for energy production.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	245888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium nuclear fuels.</p><p> </p><p>In 2012, the National Nuclear laboratory (NNL) published an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear powered electricity generation. This is available online from:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fthorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory&amp;data=02%7C01%7Csmrteam%40beis.gov.uk%7Cdd05f6eb801e49a4019908d6934e8acc%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C636858362871826514&amp;sdata=QPoeIoU4Hy5Q0QejJLtBthzHsXfznTY1ZctSMTSm5jM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory</a>.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS has considered these views and drawn on the expertise of its national laboratories to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are used to inform R&amp;D needs on thorium nuclear fuel cycles. An overview of these are included in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, which is available from:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fnuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways&amp;data=02%7C01%7Csmrteam%40beis.gov.uk%7Cdd05f6eb801e49a4019908d6934e8acc%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C636858362871836519&amp;sdata=GRPFBxd0yYpQvfucFPtnBU6IAzWcxW8H3QTEo1LJM2E%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has been supporting research and development into the use of thorium nuclear fuels since such fuels were used in the Dragon reactor at Winfrith in the 1960s and 1970s. Examples of current activity on thorium and related technologies include academic research into thorium fuelled reactor systems and fuel cycle processes through Research Council grants to UK universities; collaboration on thorium fuels, via the UK Research Councils’ Energy Programme, with national nuclear energy programmes of other countries on safety, performance and non-proliferation; experimental development of thorium fuels through the NNL and private sector organisations, as part of international consortia, and thorium fuel modelling and fuel cycle scenario analysis by the NNL. These activities cover UK, EU and worldwide initiatives and receive either financial or strategic support from the Government.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 29/04/2019 15:24:49 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1105309

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Nuisance Calls
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the effect on levels of nuisance calls of companies requiring consumers to provide their phone numbers when purchasing products or signing up for services.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	237188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>Companies who process personal data and use it to make marketing communications are regulated by the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). Both of these are administered and enforced by the Information Commissioner (ICO). If a company collects phone numbers from customers, it must be clear and transparent about how personal data will be handled, and ensure that the data is processed in a way which individuals would expect. Personal data must not be shared with third parties without an appropriate legal basis. Organisations that fail to comply may be subject to enforcement action by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has the power to impose a monetary penalty on those who break the law.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has not made an official assessment of the effect on levels of nuisance calls of companies requiring consumers to provide their phone numbers when purchasing products or signing up for services.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 02/04/2019 14:31:51 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1091369

registered interest
date	19/03/2019
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	5G: 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 his Department has made of the effect of the roll-out of 5G technology on people's health.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	234268
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health evidence reviews have been prepared by scientific expert groups in the United Kingdom and around the world. The independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) published their report in the UK in 2012 and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) published their report in 2015. The World Health Organization is presently preparing a review. The AGNIR report is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-health-effects" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-health-effects</a></p><p> </p><p>The SCENIHR report is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/scientific_committees/docs/citizens_emf_en.pdf" target="_blank">https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/scientific_committees/docs/citizens_emf_en.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Based on the accumulated evidence and reviews, Public Health England (PHE) advises that the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) should be adopted and there is no convincing evidence that EMF exposures below the ICNIRP guideline levels cause adverse health effects.</p><p> </p><p>PHE has committed to keeping the emerging evidence under review and to preparing another comprehensive review when sufficient new evidence has accumulated.</p> answering member constituency Thurrock answering member printed Jackie Doyle-Price question first answered 27/03/2019 15:42:52 answering member 4065 label Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1090987

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending to all people with later stage (a) degenerative and (b) non-curable conditions the ceasing of repeat assessments for personal independence payment; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	233608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be reviewed. Reviews of PIP are a key part of the benefit to ensure that awards remain correct where needs may change (including where needs increase and the award may need to increase) and that we maintain contact with the claimant, both features that are missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review after ten years.</p><p> </p><p>We introduced updated guidance for case managers and an updated PIP Assessment Guide in 2018 which will ensure that those people who receive the highest level of support under PIP, and where their needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will now receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten-year point. In line with PIP’s aim to be needs-based rather than condition-based, the change to the guidance is not condition specific. However, we believe the changes will ensure that those with severe and/or progressive conditions receive the most appropriate award duration that reflects their condition and the needs arising.</p><p> </p><p>Special considerations also apply to claimants who are terminally ill, and our arrangements recognise the particular difficulties faced by people who only have a short time to live. Claims by people with a terminal illness are fast tracked, are not subject to a face-to-face assessment and they are guaranteed the enhanced rate of the Daily Living Component; nearly all also receive the enhanced rate of mobility.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 234096 234097 question first answered 25/03/2019 17:26:55 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1090992

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Disposable Wipes: Biodegradability
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 steps the Government is taking to ban the marketing of single-use wipes as flushable if they do not conform to the Water UK approved fine to flush standard.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	233610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, the actions we will take to encourage producers to take more responsibility for the lifespan of their products and make sure these are more carefully designed with resource efficiency, and waste prevention in mind. This includes wet wipes.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is working with the water industry and wet wipe manufacturers to prevent wet wipes entering our waterways and damaging our marine environment. I hosted a cross industry wet wipes roundtable in November 2016, to tackle the issue of wipes being incorrectly flushed and causing sewer blockages. Following the meeting, revised wet wipe industry guidance requires a ‘Do Not Flush’ label to be displayed far more prominently on non-flushable wipes.</p><p> </p><p>We support the water industry’s ongoing work on their voluntary ‘Fine to Flush’ label, to ensure that any wipes which are marked as being ‘flushable’, are plastic free and are truly flushable, meaning they can enter the sewage system without causing blockages or harming the environment. We are actively encouraging the water and wet wipe industries to work together to develop an agreed ‘flushability’ standard for those wipes that are intended for disposal via toilets.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 25/03/2019 10:05:50 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1091002

registered interest
date	18/03/2019
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	Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has any plans to review the RCGP Advanced Knowledge Test in relation to ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to ensure it (a) remains up-to-date and (b) demonstrates best practice for treatment of those conditions.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	233615
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2019 answer text <p>The responsibility for reviewing and updating the Advanced Knowledge Test (AKT) lies with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).</p><p> </p><p>General practice is where most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the RCGP AKT content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of general practitioners’ qualifying exams.</p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 26/03/2019 16:14:06 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk