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1238064

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	United Kingdom Internal Market Bill
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 discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Scottish Government on the economic effect on businesses of the UK Internal Market Bill.
tabling member constituency	Ochil and South Perthshire
tabling member printed	John Nicolson
uin	906811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>Ministers have clearly set out the benefits to all UK businesses of ensuring goods and services can flow freely across the UK: this is in Scotland’s interests given it exports more to the rest of the UK than the EU.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 29/09/2020 12:19:05 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4415 label Biography information for John Nicolson

1238140

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	Termination of Employment: Women
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of women who have left the workforce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL8542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>We do not have a current estimate however the latest published Office of National Statistics data in the three months to August 2020 shows that 15.5 million women are in employment. We know that some groups of people are more likely to have been affected than others, but the Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme and the plan for jobs will make sure that no person is left behind in our economic recovery.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs we are continuing to support people back into work by doubling the number of Work Coaches across our Jobcentres to 27,000, ensuring jobseekers have access to tailored and personalised support. We’re also helping those made jobless by the pandemic through our newly launched Job Entry Targeted Support, accessible to all Universal Credit claimants out of work for at least three months.</p><p> </p><p>Our £150 million investment in the Flexible Support Fund means our national network of Work Coaches can continue to enrol people on training helping to increase their employability and quickly move into work.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 14/10/2020 14:27:33 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1238144

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support women returning to work to access childcare as restrictions to address the COVID-19 pandemic are eased.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL8546
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The government funds a generous package of free and subsidised childcare. Parents can find out more about the support they can get at: <a href="https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p>The government recognises the importance of childcare to families. Early years was one of the first sectors in which COVID-19 restrictions were eased. Since 1 June, early years providers have been able to open to all children, and since 20 July, they have been able to return to their normal group sizes.</p><p>We are providing extra security to nurseries and childminders that are open by ‘block-buying’ childcare places for the rest of this year at the level we would have funded before the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of how many children are attending. We have also made temporary changes to ensure that eligible parents who experienced a reduction or increase in income as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak retain their eligibility for the entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare a week.</p><p>Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient childcare places during the COVID-19 outbreak. Parents who are experiencing difficulties in obtaining childcare should contact their local authority directly.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 12/10/2020 15:42:35 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1238173

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Insurance: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide joint coverage with insurers to ensure adequate insurance provision for individuals and businesses planning events in 2021 which will enable them to start incurring costs for these events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Hayward
uin	HL8521
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector on its response to this unprecedented situation. We are working closely with the insurers, the trade bodies and regulators to understand what more the industry can do to help individuals and businesses in time of need, and how the insurance market delivers the support firms need as the economy reopens.<p> </p>The Government is exploring all options to ensure businesses can build resilience following the outbreak of COVID-19. We encourage businesses encountering financial difficulty as a result of this unprecedented situation to review the initiatives in the Government’s support package, such as Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, for which the application window has been extended to 30 November, and businesses rates holidays. We have taken steps to make our schemes deliverable, fair and targeted at those who need it the most. We continue to keep the Government support package under close review. answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 13/10/2020 13:57:05 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	863 label Biography information for Lord Hayward

1238186

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Sri Lanka: Military Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of withdrawing the UK's resident Defence Advisor from Sri Lanka in response to reported human rights abuses in that country.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	96094
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>As we seek to influence change, the UK's resident Defence Advisor's engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka forms an important contribution to our efforts to hasten the development of a modern, accountable and human rights compliant military. We carefully consider our engagement with individuals accused of human rights violations against the operational urgency and essential nature of the discussion. Recent engagement with key Sri Lankan officials has been to discuss urgent Covid-19 operational issues, including the safe return of British nationals to the UK and the welfare safeguarding of the remaining British nationals in Sri Lanka.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 01/10/2020 07:33:36 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1238187

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	Sri Lanka: Human Rights
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 effect reports of human rights violations by Sri Lanka's security forces have on the extent of UK programmes operating in that country.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	96095
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>We are concerned about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, including instances of harassment, intimidation and surveillance of civil society groups and human rights defenders. The Minister of State for South Asia and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised these concerns with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. The UK Government made our concerns clear in statements delivered on behalf of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in February, June and September, as well as reiterating our ongoing commitment to justice and accountability for victims of conflict and human rights violations.</p><p>Our programmes in Sri Lanka are designed to promote peacebuilding and reconciliation. These include the resettlement of victims of conflict, support to civil society and human rights organisations, and work to build the capacity of the security forces to support vulnerable groups, for example our work on sexual and gender based violence with the Sri Lanka Police Service.</p><p>All UK assistance is subject to robust Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments that analyse the potential human rights, international humanitarian law, political and reputational risks of any proposed assistance to ensure that it supports our values and is consistent with our domestic and international human rights obligations.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 06/10/2020 15:05:29 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1238194

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Veterans: Charities
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to support veterans charities which cannot cover their costs and are unable to undertake normal fundraising during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	96068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>The COVID-19 Impact Fund has provided nearly £6m in grants to over 100 Armed Forces charities across the United Kingdom, including a number who are based, or operate, in Northern Ireland to support them through the immediate effects of the pandemic. These charities have ranged from smaller local charities to larger, household names. Many charities have also utilised the Government’s employment and other financial support schemes to help sustain them through the pandemic. In addition the Government has continued to provide £10m to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, some of which has also been made available to help charities respond to the direct impacts of COVID-19. Ministers have continued to hold discussions with the Armed Forces charity sector throughout this period and continue to monitor the financial impact on the sector closely.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 06/10/2020 16:04:56 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1238196

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	Television Licences: Older People
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 he has had recent discussions with TV Licensing on payment methods for elderly people who (a) do not bank online, (b) do not have a current account and (c) are uncomfortable returning forms in the post with their account particulars because of the risk of identity theft.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	96070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>The government has said the BBC must look urgently at how it can use its substantial licence fee income to support older people, and must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over 75s concession.</p><p>The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee. The BBC, through its licensing arm TV Licensing, offers customers a range of options for paying for their TV Licence. This includes instalment options and different mechanisms such as Direct Debit, bank transfer and Paypoint.</p><p>For those who had previously received a free over 75s TV licence but will have to pay from 1 August, the BBC is also introducing the 75+ Plan: a new TV licence payment plan which enables people to pay in equal weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments, if they don’t want to pay the licence fee all in one go. Those over 75 who register for the 75+ plan can pay over the counter with cash or a debit card at any PayPoint location, or over the phone or online with a credit or debit card. They can also set up a Direct Debit for monthly payments. The BBC has also set up specialist telephone contact centres to help people affected by the change to the over 75s concession.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 06/10/2020 13:55:13 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1238202

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	Twitter: Racial Discrimination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Twitter on (a) racial bias in its thumbnail algorithm and (b) redress for people discriminated against by that algorithm; and what plans he has to tackle racial bias in (i) that algorithm and (ii) other algorithms.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	96062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2020 answer text <p>Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including Twitter, on a variety of issues, including their use of algorithms. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the<a href="https://www.gov.uk/" target="_blank"> Gov.uk</a> website.</p><p><strong><p><p><br></strong></p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 30/09/2020 13:31:54 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1238215

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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	BBC: Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the process will commence to appoint a new a Chairman of the BBC; and whether that process will be an open competition.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	96089
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The process to appoint a new Chairman of the BBC will be a fair and open competition, run in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. We expect to launch the process shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 01/10/2020 10:34:41 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson