Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of the staff of his Department are politically restricted.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Data is provided in the table below for those Civil servants in “the politically restricted” category. As set out in the Civil Service Management code this is members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the administrative and European Fast Stream Development Programmes.
DCMS Grade | Headcount | Proportion of total workforce |
Permanent Secretary | 1 | 0.06% |
Director General | 4 | 0.22% |
Director | 28 | 1.57% |
Deputy Director | 89 | 5.01% |
Grade 6 | 201 | 11.30% |
Grade 7 | 602 | 33.86% |
Fast-streamer (Grade B) | 16 | 0.90% |
*This data reflects officially published 2020/21 data submitted to the Cabinet Office Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) report. Fast-stream numbers include all fast-streamers at DCMS not just those on administrative and European schemes.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on resources deployed at Scottish ports to help manage the movement of goods since the Northern Ireland Protocol came into effect on 1 January 2021.
Answered by David Duguid
The Secretary of State for Scotland holds regular conversations with Cabinet colleagues regarding the implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
This Government is unequivocal in its commitment to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods moving to the rest of the UK and will ensure the required resources are deployed at Scottish ports.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
What progress has been made on catch-up learning for pupils in response to the disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
Since June 2020, we have announced over £3 billion to help children to catch up, including over £950 million in flexible funding to schools and £1.5 billion for tutoring. Over 500,000 children were invited to take part in summer schools nationwide. Over 200,000 have started tutoring, with more starting shortly.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has conducted an impact assessment of the decision to change the reconciliation threshold rate for Education and Skills Funding Agency grant funded AEB adult skills.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We are lowering the reconciliation threshold for the Education and Skills Funding Agency grant funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) (adult skills including non-formula funded community learning and 19-24 traineeships) and Advanced Learner Loan Bursary fund providers for the 2020-21 academic year, from 97% and 100% respectively to 90%.
The 90% now proposed for the current funding year is, therefore, a relaxation of the normal rules for the benefit of all grant-funded providers and their learners.
In areas where the AEB has been devolved, Mayoral Combined Authorities or the Greater London Authority are responsible for considering any provider flexibilities in their areas.
We are monitoring the situation carefully and, in particular, if there are providers that may need further support.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the use of reusable cups at outdoor events will be permitted as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department has produced a number of high level guidance documents in partnership with stakeholders on how relevant sectors should operate in a Covid secure environment as restrictions are eased.
However, it is for event organisers to determine whether to use reusable cups at outdoor events. There is no government guidance which prevents the use of reusable cups.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish the findings from its Youth Review, which closed on 7 March 2021.
Answered by Matt Warman
As announced at the 2020 spending review, DCMS is undertaking a Spring review of all DCMS support for out-of-school services for young people. Whilst the external engagement exercise closed on 7 March, the review is still ongoing and findings will be published in due course.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent diplomatic steps he has taken in response to human rights abuses against (a) the Uyghurs and (b) other minorities in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
On 22 March, under the UK’s Global Human Rights sanctions regime, the Foreign Secretary announced asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese government officials and one entity responsible for the gross violations of human rights of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
On 22 February, the Foreign Secretary delivered a Ministerial Statement at the UN Human Rights Council – the first time a UK Foreign Secretary has done so since 2010. He highlighted our deep concerns about the human rights violations being perpetrated against Tibetans, Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in China, and underlined the need for urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The UK also led the first two joint statements on the persecution of the Uyghurs and other minorities at the UN, and we have worked tirelessly with partners to raise the issue up the international agenda.
On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced robust domestic measures in respect of UK supply chains to help ensure that British businesses are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang.
The Foreign Secretary has personally raised our serious concerns with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on a number of occasions.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make a comparative assessment of the level of pension credit uptake in Hackney South and Shoreditch in the financial years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
Answered by Guy Opperman
It is not feasible to undertake this comparative assessment.
The latest estimates of Pension Credit take-up relate to the financial year 2018/19 and are representative of the GB population.
Estimates of take up of income related benefits can be found in the following publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2018-to-2019
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment he has undertaken on the proposed changes to Small Brewers' Relief.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Treasury keeps the effect of the relief, and potential reforms to it, under regular review. A technical consultation was launched in January to help inform the Government’s review of the relief, and the consultation document provides further information on the Government’s assessment of changes.Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to respond to the consultation on the review of Small Brewers' Relief that ran from 30 January 2019 to 17 March 2019; and what steps he is taking to use the findings of that consultation to inform the consultation on Small Brewers' Relief that closes on 4 April 2021.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
Following the announcement of the Small Brewers Relief (SBR) review at the 2018 Budget, the Treasury conducted a survey of brewers between January and March 2019. An update on the review was provided to Parliament in July 2020, outlining the Government’s initial conclusions. In January 2021 a technical consultation was launched to gain further feedback from brewers. The information provided by the consultation will be used alongside the data from the 2019 survey to inform final policy decisions.
Further updates will be provided after the close of the consultation.