Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the management of PPE contracts, published on 30 March 2022, what steps were taken to corroborate the legitimacy of (a) certification paper work and (b) factory credentials and product and process certificates when offering contracts to organisations for the supply of personal protective equipment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by the National Audit Office on 30 March 2022 on their investigation into the management of PPE contracts, whether the Government (a) consulted with or (b) made use of any third-party organisations who have experience in detecting fraud or identifying fake or counterfeit products.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by the National Audit Office on 30 March 2022 on their investigation into the management of PPE contracts, what measures were put in place to check the background of companies and their ability to deliver PPE items.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All offers received a rigorous financial, commercial, legal and policy assessment, led by officials in various Government departments. The final decision on whether to enter a contract was made by the appropriate Accounting Officer in the Department. Due diligence checks on offers of personal protective equipment were performed by the PPE Cell, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence which confirmed United Kingdom supplier financial accounts information; company health checks such as profitability, financial ratios and supplier information; international supplier accounts; and serious organised crime footprints.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question 143714 on Refugees: Ukraine, what steps the Government can take to facilitate the exchange of Hryvnia notes for Sterling given the controls on the Ukrainian currency.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the honourable member to the answer that I gave on 24 March 2022 to UIN 143714.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help Ukrainian refugees who have fled to the UK to exchange their physical currency for sterling.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government will monitor if steps are needed to support financial services provision for Ukrainian refugees in the UK’s marketplace.
Participants in industry have highlighted measures they have taken to support refugees and their access to essential financial services.
The Government recognises that access to a current account is key to enabling people to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely, and confidently.
The nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers in the UK who do not have a bank account or who are not eligible for a bank’s standard current account. Customers must be lawfully resident in the UK to be eligible, and this includes Ukrainian nationals who have entered the UK under the Ukrainian Scheme and Ukrainian Family Scheme.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which stakeholder groups the NHS England National Advisor for LGBT Health has engaged with in the last six months.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Adviser for LGBT Health engages with a wide range of stakeholder groups including Government departments, National Health Service organisations, Royal Colleges, regulators and voluntary and community sector organisations. In the last six months the National Adviser for LGBT Health has engaged with the following organisations:
- The Department of Health and Social Care;
- The Government Equalities Office;
- The Care Quality Commission;
- The General Medical Council;
- The Nursing and Midwifery Council;
- The General Pharmaceutical Council;
- The Royal College of General Practitioners;
- The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology;
- The Royal College of Midwives;
- The Royal College of Nurses;
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission;
- NHS Digital;
- NHSX;
- The UK Health Security Agency;
- The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities;
- Healthwatch;
- Albert Kennedy Trust;
- Opening Doors London;
- National LGB&T Partnership;
- LGBT Consortium;
- LGBT Foundation;
- Metro Charity;
- Stonewall Housing;
- The Proud Trust;
- Stonewall;
- Alike;
- Mermaids;
- Live Through This;
- LGBT Hero;
- Yorkshire Mesmac
- cliniQ;
- Terrence Higgins Trust;
- Gendered Intelligence;
- Leicester LGBT Centre;
- Birmingham LGBT;
- Galop;
- Switchboard;
- London Friend;
- LGBTIQ Outside Project;
- Lancashire LGBT;
- Intersex Equality Rights UK;
- Spectra;
- Intercom Trust;
- LGBT Dorset;
- MindOut;
- ELOP (East London Out Project);
- Parapride;
- Intersex Equality Rights UK;
- National Maternity Voices;
- Beyond Bea;
- Aching Arms;
- LGBT Mummies Tribe;
- Local Maternity Voice Partnership Chairs;
- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals;
- NHS Youth Forum;
- Womens’ Budget Group;
- Women’s Resource Centre;
- Fair Play for Women;
- Faith Action;
- The Race Equality Foundation; and
- The HOPE Network.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take in the next financial year to diversify UK aid partners and give more opportunities to small and medium-sized charities to participate in the delivery of UK aid programmes.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO is currently finalising its spending plans for the next three financial years, including plans for future central funding to civil society. We will take into consideration our support to small and medium-sized charities in the delivery of UK aid. Despite the challenging financial climate as a result of COVID-19, FCDO protected funding this year to the 55 Small Charities Challenge Fund projects which were under implementation. This includes five grants to support the capacity development of small UK charities.Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she expects to announce a future round of applications for impact grant funding.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO is currently finalising its spending plans for the next three financial years, including plans for future central funding for civil society.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) trade rules implemented following the UK's departure from the EU and (b) rules on sending charitable donations of goods to EU countries on the number of shipments of humanitarian aid from the UK to EU countries, such as Greece and Poland.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
British goods exports to the EU were up 4.1% in 2021 on the previous year, whilst British goods imports from the EU were down 4.5% in the same period.
Although customs processes must still be followed, humanitarian goods are subject to customs duty relief. Businesses and charities can contact the Export Support Service for help relating to the Ukraine crisis.
Asked by: Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to provide technical expertise to UK charities seeking to send shipments of humanitarian aid to EU countries to ensure they are not affected by customs restrictions imposed following the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC understands that people in the UK want to help those affected by the invasion of Ukraine. The Government advises that the best way to help the Ukrainian people is to donate money through the Disasters Emergency Committee or other trusted charities. The Disasters Emergency Committee appeal can be found here: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal.
Most goods crossing borders require customs declarations and may be subject to checks. Duty and other border taxes may be payable on entry into other customs territories, such as the EU. This includes goods donated to charities and in kind assistance, such as food, blankets, and clothing.
Charities will need to follow UK export guidance and comply with any import rules and pay any taxes or duty owed in the EU or other country that the goods are being sent to, including Ukraine.
However, we appreciate that people and businesses may still wish to donate aid directly to the region and we are exploring further ways to support this. UK charities requiring advice about transporting humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees can contact the free-to-use Export Support Service (ESS). The ESS helpline number is 0300 303 8955 and is currently operational 7 days a week, from 08:00-2200hours. Support can also be accessed online: https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team.