Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the level of greenhouse gas emissions of the decision to exclude electrification from the scope of the Western Phase of the East West Rail project.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The publicly available Environmental Statement which was prepared as part of the TWAO for the Western Section, includes a robust assessment of emissions from diesel trains during the operation of the Order Scheme, as well as construction and operational road traffic emissions.
Passive provision for electrification is being provided in the construction of the Western Section allowing electrification to be implemented in the future should it represent good value for money.
The East West Railway Company is continuing to work with government and other agencies to explore options for a local natural capital plan for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc as a whole, and to support the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the (a) level and (b) risk of homelessness among young people.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping, including for young people. The Homelessness Reduction Act came into force last year. It placed new duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person’s homelessness irrespective of whether a person has ‘priority need’ or may be regarded as being ‘intentionally homeless’, which of course includes young people. Last year we also updated guidance on the ‘Prevention of homelessness and provision of accommodation for 16 and 17-year-old young people who may be homeless and/or require accommodation’ setting out the respective duties of children’s services and housing services.
The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. Last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Rough Sleeping Strategy committed to creating a new social impact bond, the Young Futures Fund. This builds on the success of the Fair Chances Fund which ran from 2015-2017 and rehoused 1657 18-24 year old's who were or at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has received legal advice on its recent performance of its obligations under Article 20(2)(b) TFEU to guarantee EU citizens resident in the UK the right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament under the same conditions as UK nationals.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government took all the legal steps necessary to prepare for the European Parliamentary
elections and put in place all the legislative and funding elements to enable Returning Officers to
make their preparations required for the polls on 23 May.
The necessity for EU citizens to complete a UC1 form to be able to vote in European Parliamentary
elections implements a requirement under EU law. This is not a new requirement and has been in
place for previous European Parliamentary elections. Similar provisions apply to UK citizens living
in other EU Member States
As with any election we will reflect on proceedings and outcomes. In line with their statutory duty,
the Electoral Commission will be publishing a report into the administration of the polls later this
year, which the Government will consider in due course.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of asthma sufferers that are unable to access medication as a result of the cost of prescription charges.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department has made no estimate. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions for which someone with asthma may qualify.
To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to improve animal welfare standards for live exports.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government’s manifesto made it clear that we would take early steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter once we leave the EU.
Last year we launched a call for evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We passed this evidence to the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), who recently submitted their advice to the Government and the devolved administrations. We are considering FAWC’s report and aim to publish it, along with a Government response, in the summer.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential public health benefits of including asthma as a medical exemption from prescription charges.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department has made no assessment. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions for which someone with asthma may qualify.
To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulation of cryptocurrencies in the UK.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government established the Cryptoassets Taskforce - comprised of HM Treasury, the FCA, and the Bank of England – to explore the risks and potential benefits of cryptoassets and consider the appropriate response. The Taskforce’s report[1] set out commitments to further consider the regulatory approach to cryptoassets.
The Government has recently consulted on plans to go beyond the requirements set out in the EU’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive to bring all relevant cryptoasset firms into anti-money laundering regulation.
The Government will consult on its approach to unregulated cryptoassets later this year.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for the provision of NHS early intervention services for adult sufferers of eating disorders.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
It is vital that everyone with an eating disorder can access quick, specialist help when necessary. The Government set up the first ever waiting time targets to improve access to eating disorder services for children and young people, supported by £30 million a year to develop 70 new or extended community eating disorder services across the country.
We are making good progress towards the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time target, with January to March 2019 data showing 80.6% of young people started treatment for an urgent case within one week and 82.4% of young people started treatment for a routine case within four weeks against a target of 95% by 2020/21.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. This investment will transform and expand services for people with mental health conditions, including eating disorders, building on our current targets.
The Long Term Plan also commits to investing in the development of services for adults with mental health conditions including eating disorders and testing four-week waiting times for adults and older adults’ community mental health teams with selected local areas.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funding his Department plans to allocate to the NHS to ensure the commencement of the NHS pilot of a four-week waiting time target for adult eating disorder treatment.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The NHS Long Term Plan committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. This investment will transform and expand services for people with mental health conditions, including eating disorders, building on our current targets.
Within the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions, the Clinical Review of NHS Access Standards aims to “test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams, with selected local areas”. The waiting times pilot will be funded from the additional commitment made in the NHS Long Term Plan. More information will be available when the National Implementation Plan is published.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of supply for steroid treatments in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.
The Government fully understands that maintaining access to steroid treatments is vitally important to many people in this country. We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to carefully review the implications of the extension to the Article 50 period until 31 October at the latest, before sharing further guidance with industry at the earliest opportunity.
On 26 April we wrote to suppliers advising that, until further guidance is provided, all no-deal measures (such as stockpiles, additional buffer stocks, etc) should remain in place but on hold.