Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that businesses that are eligible for Bounce Back loans but unable to access them through their bank receive the support they need.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) is currently being delivered through 29 accredited lenders, including several non-banks and alternative lenders. If an eligible business is unable to access the scheme because their bank is not a participant, or their bank is unable to process their application or turns it down, businesses are encouraged to apply for finance with another of the lenders. These accredited lenders are all listed on the British Business Bank’s website[1].
If the application is still unsuccessful, there are other forms of finance available to eligible firms and these can be identified from a number of sources, including the Government’s online finance finder on GOV.UK.
Businesses of all sizes across England, are also encouraged to contact the nearest local government-backed Growth Hub for free impartial advice on accessing the right finance. Expert advisers will be able to discuss alternative sources of support, business planning and building resilience.
The Government’s Business Support Helpline (FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098) also provides free, impartial support and advice to businesses.
Businesses based in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland will be able to access similar support through the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to ensure that small banks have access to adequate capital to offer eligible customers Bounce Back loans.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Our position has always been that the Government does not provide capital to financial institutions, who must source their own funding.
Challenger banks and non-bank lenders among the 29 accredited lenders under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme have played a vital role in providing 1.4 million businesses with vital financial support worth over £42 billion.
The Treasury recognises the vital role that challenger banks and non-banks play in the provision of credit to SMEs. It is grateful for the way the sector has responded to the current crisis, and remains committed to promoting competition and widening the funding options available to UK businesses.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal barristers there were in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The legal services sector in England and Wales is independent of government. The Ministry of Justice does not currently hold this information. As part of the Criminal Legal Aid Review we have been working closely with the Legal Aid Agency, Bar Council and the Crown Prosecution Service to bring together a dataset on publicly funded criminal barristers. We intend to publish the results of this analysis during the next phase of the review.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the appointment of the Chair of the Criminal Legal Aid Review Part 2 is planned to be announced.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are working closely with stakeholders including the criminal defence representative bodies to ensure that the Independent Review is set up as quickly as possible and that we appoint the right chair and advisory panel so that the review can deliver a robust, evidence-based assessment of the criminal legal aid market.
This means ensuring that the chair of the review has the right skillset, expertise and experience. At present, we are working to identify and appoint the right candidate for the role and will say more in due course.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Criminal Legal Aid Review Part 2 terms of reference are planned to be published.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are working to ensure that the next phase of the criminal legal aid review, the Independent Review, is set up as quickly as possible. We are currently developing the Terms of Reference in coordination with stakeholders, including criminal defence practitioner representative bodies, and will publish these when the Independent Review is launched.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of flu vaccine doses available to the NHS in winter 2020/21 are the types generally used for adults (a) at or over and (b) under the age of 65.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on which vaccines are recommended for the different cohorts is included in the Annual Flu Letter Update 2020/21 which is available at the following link:
General practitioners and community pharmacies are responsible for ordering flu vaccines from suppliers, which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults. The Department does not routinely collect information on the different vaccines that have been ordered by local providers.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timeframe is for the conclusion of the Criminal Legal Aid Review Part 2.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are working to ensure that the next phase of the Criminal Legal Aid Review is set up as quickly as possible and are planning for the Independent Review to conclude in 2021. However, this timeframe will be subject to the agreement of the Chair, once appointed. We will seek to confirm the timeframe at the launch of the Independent Review.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have died by suicide in each month from 1 April 2020 to 1 September 2020; and how many of those people had been reported missing prior to their death.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The data is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children were living in placements outside their local authority (a) from 1 April 2020 to 1 September 2020 and (b) in the same period in 2019.
Answered by Vicky Ford
This information is currently not available.
The latest figures on children looked after in England and on children missing from care or placed in out of area placements relates to the year ending 31 March 2019 are published in the statistical release, ‘Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2018-19’, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019.
Figures for the reporting year ending 31 March 2020 will be published later this year.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children were living in placements outside their local authority area from 1 April 2020 to 1 September 2020 by (a) foster care, (b) registered children’s homes, (c) secure children’s homes and (d) other placement provision.
Answered by Vicky Ford
This information is currently not available.
The latest figures on children looked after in England and on children missing from care or placed in out of area placements relates to the year ending 31 March 2019 are published in the statistical release, ‘Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2018-19’, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019.
Figures for the reporting year ending 31 March 2020 will be published later this year.