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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1177840

registered interest
date	11/02/2020
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Period Poverty Task Force
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department plans to continue the work of the Period Poverty Taskforce.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	749
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>The cross-sectoral Period Poverty Taskforce has provided a clearer understanding of the problem of period poverty and the expert solutions to address the barriers faced by all who have periods. Alongside this, work across government will ensure that people in schools, colleges, hospitals and police custody can access period products with dignity. Further announcements on the plans and the work of the Taskforce will be made in due course.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 13/02/2020 16:17:04 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1177312

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
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	Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the February 2020 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled UK Poverty 2019-2020 that 56 per cent of people living in poverty were also in a working household in 2018; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	14729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>There is clear evidence about the importance of work in tackling poverty now and in the future. For example, a child growing up in a home where all adults are working is around 5 times less likely to be in poverty than a child in a household where nobody works. The majority of people in in-work poverty either work solely part-time, are the single earner in a couple, or are full-time self-employed.</p><p>Delivering a sustainable long-term solution to poverty means building a strong economy and ensuring that the benefit system works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay. There are over 1 million fewer workless households compared with 2010, with around 730,000 fewer children in workless households, and over 3.8 million more people have entered work, averaging around 1,000 people a day. Around three-quarters of the growth in employment since 2010 has been in full-time work. Our unemployment rate is now less than half the Euro area average. Around three-quarters of the growth in employment since 2010 has been in full-time work, substantially reducing the risk of poverty.</p><p>Joseph Rowntree Foundation reported that Universal Credit is likely to help an extra 300,000 members of working families out of poverty.</p><p>Universal Credit is designed to help people move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings. It provides more financial help with childcare costs (eligible claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70% on the legacy system), a dedicated Work Coach, and removes the 16-hour ‘cliff edge<strong>’</strong> for those who are working. We are confident that, as UC reaches more working families, we will see more people working full-time and ultimately achieving independence from the State.</p><p>We will continue to reform the welfare system so that it promotes work as the most effective route out of poverty and is fairer towards those who receive it and the taxpayers who pay for it. We also want to identify opportunities to create a highly productive workforce, improving progression prospects for the lowest paid people so everyone has the right skills to meet the UK’s future demand. That is why we are delivering a significant programme of research and testing to build the evidence of how to overcome the obstacles that people face so that they can improve their earnings and career prospects.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/02/2020 18:04:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176789

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
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, what estimate her Department has made of the number of tonnes of plastic waste in British territorial waters.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing the marine environment today. It’s estimated that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter the global ocean each year and, if action is not taken, scientific evidence estimates that the total plastic in the ocean is set to treble by 2025 compared to 2015 levels. Marine plastic litter can move with ocean currents, which makes it difficult to calculate how much is situated in British territorial waters at any given point in time.</p><p> </p><p>This is why we collaborate closely with our neighbouring countries through the OSPAR Convention to reduce the flow of waste into the North-east Atlantic. We are delivering on our commitments in the Marine Litter Regional Action Plan and leading on efforts to tackle the issue of abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear.</p><p> </p><p>Prevention of waste entering the marine environment is our current priority. The Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December 2018, sets out our plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, working towards our 25 Year Environment Plan target to reduce all types of marine plastic pollution.</p><p> </p><p>Marine plastic pollution is a global issue that requires global effort and solutions. The UK launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance alongside Vanuatu in 2018. Through this alliance, a growing group of 31 Commonwealth member states (over half of the Commonwealth) have pledged action on reducing plastic pollution of the ocean.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 13/02/2020 09:32:41 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176791

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
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, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the amount of plastic in British territorial waters.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13570
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government is making great strides in tackling the scourge of marine plastic pollution, and we have made some good progress. In 2018, our ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products helped to stop billions of tiny pieces of plastic entering the ocean. Our charge for single-use carrier bags has also led to a 90% reduction in plastic bag usage and a reduction of plastic bags surveyed on the seabed.</p><p> </p><p>Our 25 Year Environment Plan establishes our target of reducing all forms of marine plastic pollution where possible, and our Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how we will achieve this. We have committed to introducing a deposit return scheme to encourage the reuse of items prevalent in marine litter, and we will explore the use of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes to incentivise innovation for items such as plastic packaging and fishing gear.</p><p> </p><p>We collaborate closely with our neighbouring countries through the OSPAR Convention to reduce the flow of waste into the North-east Atlantic. We are delivering on our commitments in the Marine Litter Regional Action Plan and leading on efforts to tackle the issue of abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 13/02/2020 09:55:29 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176793

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
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 his Department is taking to encourage new road developments to take adequate account of (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework advises local authorities to promote healthy, inclusive and safe places which encourage walking and cycling.</p><p> </p><p>The four national highway authorities published joint guidance in November 2019 on how to design cycling infrastructure into strategic road schemes.</p><p> </p><p>The Conservative Party manifesto announced a £350 million Cycling Infrastructure Fund, with mandatory design standards for new routes. The Department will shortly be publishing revised guidance for local authorities on designing safe and efficient cycling infrastructure, which will need to be considered when setting local standards and in the development of new road schemes.</p> answering member constituency Daventry answering member printed Chris Heaton-Harris question first answered 12/02/2020 16:19:49 answering member 3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176794

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Cycling: Urban Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to promote cycling in towns and cities in England.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13572
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2020 answer text <p>The first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy - Report to Parliament published on the 7<sup>th</sup> February 2020 provides full details of the steps the Department is taking to promote cycling and walking. This includes details of the £2.4 billion which is being invested in cycling and walking over the five years to 2020/21 through the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. Funding has been provided for provision of safe and direct cycling and walking networks, cycle training and a range of behaviour change and modeshift activities.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 14/02/2020 14:51:15 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176795

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Motor Vehicles: Urban Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of cars in major urban areas.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13573
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2020 answer text <p>Local Highway Authorities are responsible for the maintenance and management of the local road network within their areas and this includes measures to help reduce road congestion. It is the for the Leaders and Mayors of local and Combined Authorities to decide how best to manage the relative mix of traffic in their cities.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is tackling congestion across England through investment in roads, public transport and active travel. The £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund is empowering 18 city regions to deliver improvements to commuter connectivity which will provide faster, more reliable transport links such as new light rail, bus or cycling infrastructure. The Government has also recently announced a further £5bn of investment in buses and cycling across England.</p><p>Through the National Roads Fund, the Government is providing £28.8bn which will fund vital improvements on the Strategic Road Network and on the Major Roads Network.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to decarbonisation of transport and is consulting on bringing forward the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also supporting areas that have identified Clean Air Zones as a means of reducing Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) to legal levels by charging older, dirtier vehicles for entering an area.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 14/02/2020 14:25:23 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176797

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Counter-terrorism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposals to amend counter-terrorism legislation will maintain the civil liberties of UK citizens.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2020 answer text <p>The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill acts only upon those who have criminal convictions imposed by lawful authority of the UK criminal courts. The Bill does not change the sentences of individuals convicted of relevant terrorism offence - both European and domestic case law confirm that release provisions relate to the administration of a sentence and do not form part of the penalty.</p><p> </p><p>On introduction of the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill in the House of Commons, Minister Buckland made a statement under section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA 1998”) that in his view the provisions of the Bill are compatible with Convention rights.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 13575 question first answered 14/02/2020 10:39:20 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176798

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Counter-terrorism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposals to amend counter-terrorism legislation complies with international human rights law.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2020 answer text <p>The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill acts only upon those who have criminal convictions imposed by lawful authority of the UK criminal courts. The Bill does not change the sentences of individuals convicted of relevant terrorism offence - both European and domestic case law confirm that release provisions relate to the administration of a sentence and do not form part of the penalty.</p><p> </p><p>On introduction of the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill in the House of Commons, Minister Buckland made a statement under section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA 1998”) that in his view the provisions of the Bill are compatible with Convention rights.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 13574 question first answered 14/02/2020 10:39:20 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1176799

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
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	Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes
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 discussion (a) she and (b) officials in her Department has had with representatives from the Communication Workers Union on avoiding industrial action by Royal Mail employees.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	13576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>BEIS Ministers and officials have regular discussions with stakeholders on a number of issues.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 13/02/2020 17:18:21 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel