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1237496

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
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	Weddings: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will revise the covid-19 lockdown restrictions for weddings to increase the number of people permitted to attend services in churches.
tabling member constituency	New Forest West
tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
uin	94997
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>From 28 September no more than 15 people can legally attend a marriage or civil partnership, even where a larger number could be safely accommodated with social distancing in a large COVID-19 secure venue. Those who are working at the ceremony are not included as part of this legal limit.</p><p>We recognise that this rule will be disappointing for those planning such events. By their nature, marriage and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.</p><p>We do not wish to keep this restriction in place for any longer than we have to, and it will be kept under review in line with the changing situation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 29/09/2020 13:01:54 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1237544

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Pensions: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent guidance he has issued to HMRC on the tax treatment of the victims of pension scams.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	95092
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>We take the issue of pension scams very seriously. The government is committed to protecting people from pension scams and pursuing those who perpetuate pension scams wherever possible.</p><p> </p><p>In 2012 the government established Project Bloom, a cross-government taskforce currently led by the Pensions Regulator (TPR), to tackle scams and identify emerging threats.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC will continue to come down hard on scammers who we identify, working closely with the Pensions Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority in a cross-agency approach.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not hold an estimate of the number of breaches of tax law which were made as a result of pension scams.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 95093 95094 question first answered 29/09/2020 08:15:06 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1237822

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Sixth Form Education: Portsmouth
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 effect on the educational outcomes of sixth form students in Portsmouth of recent trends in the number of those students who are self-isolating as a result of having covid-19 symptoms and are unable to return to their sixth form until they receive the results of their covid-19 tests.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	95738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>In Portsmouth, as set out in national guidance, every further education (FE) provider should ensure they have a strong contingency plan in place for high quality remote education for all students by the end of September, if individuals or groups are asked to isolate, or the setting has to be partially or fully closed. The national guidance can be found at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term</a>.</p><p>We know that FE providers delivered aspects of provision remotely prior to national lockdown and this has been successfully expanded over recent months, so providers are well placed to respond quickly if the need arises.</p><p>Similarly, as set out in the guidance for the full opening of schools, where a pupil is unable to attend a secondary school because they are complying with clinical or public health advice, we expect schools to be able to immediately offer them access to remote education. This guidance can be found at: <br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>.</p><p>This guidance applies equally to sixth form students who may be self-isolating whilst awaiting COVID-19 test results, and seeks to ensure that their education continues until such time as they can return to a school or college setting.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan question first answered 06/10/2020 16:54:03 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1237823

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Royal Military Academy: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on the upper age limit for applicants to that Academy during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	95747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>Candidates seeking a commission in the Regular Army should generally be over 17 years and 9 months and under 30 years on entry to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Anyone over 30 is considered on a case by case basis and age waivers can be supported. Officer recruitment is very healthy with the supply of high-quality candidates consistently meeting the demand for places. Places are filled well in advance of the intake date and due to the unique accommodation arrangements at the Academy social distancing measures are less complex to implement, meaning it continues to operate at full capacity. Covid 19 restrictions have not affected the application inflow and there has been no discussion regarding the upper age limit for applicants to the Academy during the covid-19 outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 01/10/2020 07:34:25 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1237824

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Syria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the (a) vulnerable person resettlement scheme to date; and what plans she has for future resettlement schemes after the UK leaves EU.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	95710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>Through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), we have worked closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to identify and resettle refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict who are in need of protection. Since the VPRS was expanded in September 2015, more than 19,750 refugees have found protection in the UK through this route and we are now close to meeting our full commitment. The Home Office continuously reviews the operation of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and uses feedback from delivery partners, stakeholders and refugees to better understand the outcomes of the refugees we resettle and to drive improvement to our processes.</p><p><br> In June 2019, the Government reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to refugee resettlement by announcing a new, global UK Resettlement Scheme. While we hoped to have both met our commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable refugees through the VPRS, and started the new scheme earlier this year, the unprecedented restrictions and pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has meant this has not yet been possible. We are evaluating how to respond to these ongoing restrictions and pressures, but we expect to resume refugee resettlement activity when safe.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 05/10/2020 16:06:20 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1237825

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
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	Coronavirus Act 2020
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of restrictions under the Coronavirus Act 2020.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	95759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/10/2020 answer text <p>As per section 97(1)(b) of the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Secretary of State will make a statement in the two month report about whether he considers the current status of non-devolved provisions to be appropriate. The first such statement was published on 29 May and this and subsequent reports can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-act-two-monthly-reports" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-act-two-monthly-reports</a></p><p>An analysis of the provisions was published on 23 September, to inform the debate held on 30 September, and is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-act-analysis" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-act-analysis</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries question first answered 09/10/2020 09:03:03 answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries previous answer version 51005 answering member constituency Mid Bedfordshire answering member printed Ms Nadine Dorries answering member 1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1237826

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
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	Housing: Construction
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has in place to encourage the (a) safe and (b) consistent development of new build housing during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	95631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government and the construction industry have previously published detailed safe working guidance, advising on how to work while maintaining social distancing requirements. This guidance has been accompanied by a joint housebuilding industry and Government developed Charter of good practice, whereby housebuilders commit to the published guidance on safe working. These interventions underpinned a safe return to work on construction sites in the Spring and would continue to apply going forward. Whilst we recognise the constraints developers have on-site, we expect quality to be at the heart of the new homes they deliver.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 05/10/2020 16:00:41 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1237827

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has in place to ensure that the assessment of children who may require special needs support is not additionally delayed as a result of new covid-19 social distancing and other restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	95632
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>We understand the need for effective and timely assessment of children who require special needs support. The department’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Improvement and Intervention Unit, alongside NHS England, will be engaging with all local areas to discuss progress on recovery from the disruption caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, and the return to school for children with SEND. This will include representatives from local authorities, health and the parent carer forum for the area, and will be led by the department’s professional SEND advisers, Department for Education case leads and an NHS England SEND adviser.</p><p>One section focuses on statutory processes, education, health and care (EHC) plans and annual reviews. SEND advisers will probe local areas on the timeliness and quality of plans, any barriers to progress, such as capacity to reduce EHC plan backlogs, and actions proposed by local areas to address weaknesses identified. The local authority engagement will also aim to ascertain if the areas have improvement needs that can be addressed by the department’s funded delivery support programme.</p><p>We are increasing high needs funding for local authorities by £780 million this year and a further £730 million next year, which means high needs budgets will have grown by nearly a quarter in just 2 years. In addition, local authorities have been allocated a further £3.7 billion to help their communities through the COVID-19 outbreak. This funding is un-ringfenced, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their local area, including support to children’s services.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 05/10/2020 16:05:54 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1237828

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Turkish counterpart on recent military activity against Kurds in Syria which has reportedly included murder, torture and rape.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	95633
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned by the findings of the recent UN Human Rights Council's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and human rights violations are still being committed against the Syrian people by all parties to the Syrian conflict. Officials have raised the allegations made against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army with the Government of Turkey. The UK continues to call on all parties to the conflict in Syria to respect international law.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 05/10/2020 15:23:36 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1237829

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
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	Zimbabwe: Politics And Government
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 discussions he has had with his counterpart in Zimbabwe on the process of taking farmland from white citizens of that country.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	95634
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>I regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe. I last spoke with the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo on 8 June and raised my serious concerns about the situation in Zimbabwe.</p><p>The UK Government is clear that the responsibility for compensating those that lost their farms during Robert Mugabe's fast track land reform programme lies wholly with the Government of Zimbabwe. I am concerned that the recent compensation deal signed between the Government of Zimbabwe and representatives of farmers seeking compensation is unlikely to be deliverable given the chronic economic situation in Zimbabwe. The British Ambassador to Harare most recently raised these concerns with Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli on 28 September.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 05/10/2020 10:28:27 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon