Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Government's food strategy.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The forthcoming Government Food Strategy will set out the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system, considering the evidence set out in Henry Dimbleby’s independent review and building on additional topics.
We are actively collaborating across Government to cover the entire food system and consider the unforeseen challenges that the agri-food sector has faced this last year since the independent review was published.
We expect to publish the Government Food Strategy shortly.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contribution-based ESA claimants have been fined as a result of an erroneous belief that they were entitled to claim free dental treatment while on benefits.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In 2019/2020, the NHS Business Services Authority issued 12,411 Penalty Charge Notices to patients who had provided receipt of Employment and Support Allowance as an exemption for their dental treatment. Prior to the issuance of a fine, patients are permitted to demonstrate their eligibility for free National Health Service dental treatment.
Exemption checking for NHS dentistry was paused during the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19 through the handling and signing of papers between patients and dental staff. Patient signatures were reintroduced on 1 September 2021.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the UK law firms that have made representations to the Government on behalf of Russian or Russian-linked clients in relation to the UK-Russian sanctions regime.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government has announced an unprecedented package of sanctions to cut off the funding for Putin's war machine. We have now sanctioned over 1000 individuals, entities and subsidiaries since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The FCDO regularly receives correspondence regarding designation proposals or specific designations under all sanctions regimes. Law firms that have made representations to the Government on behalf of Russian or Russian-linked clients in relation to the UK-Russian sanctions regime in processed correspondence include BCL Solicitors LLP, W Legal Limited and Peters & Peters.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department last had a meeting personally with Mr Phil Whittingham of Avanti West Coast Trains.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Ministers and Officials meet with operators and their Managing Directors on a regular basis.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2022 to Question 87696 on Protective Clothing: Coronavirus, if he will list the number of sites where unused personal protective equipment is being stored, by county.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is shown in the following table.
Location | Number of facilities |
Durham | 3 |
Essex | 2 |
Leicestershire | 4 |
Greater Manchester | 1 |
Staffordshire | 1 |
Stirlingshire | 1 |
South Yorkshire | 2 |
Suffolk | 5 |
Warwickshire | 1 |
West Yorkshire | 2 |
Shanghai | 1 |
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the sites that have been used by the Government or its agents for the purpose of storing unused personal protective equipment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are unable to provide the location of storage facilities as this information is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the allocated expenditure is by the Government or its agents on the rental of storage space to store unused personal protective equipment in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many shipping containers the Government or its agents have rented for the storage of unused personal protective equipment since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has rented 9,512 containers since the start of the pandemic.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the allocated expenditure is for the rental of shipping containers by the Government or its agents to store unused personal protective equipment for the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This information is not held in the format requested. However, by the end of November 2021, £300.7 million had been spent on the storage of personal protective equipment. This includes the rental of shipping containers and storage space in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many external guests attended the Downing Street social event on 18 December 2020.
Answered by Michael Ellis
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.