Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to parents who are returning to work from parental leave who have to pay childcare costs upfront and get reimbursed in arrears under universal credit.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.
The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.
Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.
Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.
A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to provide the childcare element of universal credit to eligible parents before they pay high childcare costs without any support; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.
The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.
Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.
Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.
A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 30 September 2019 to Question 290323 on Civil Servants and Ministerial Policy Advisers, the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 291490 on Democracy: Subversion and pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2019 to Question 529 on Ministerial Policy Advisers, what assessment he has made of compliance by (a) officials and (b) special advisers that (i) developed and (ii) recommended proposals on the unlawful prorogation of Parliament with National Security vetting requirements in relation to activities intended to undermine Parliamentary democracy by political means.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Over and above routine security practices in place for vetted individuals, no further assessment has been made. In relation to the decision to prorogue Parliament, at all times the Government acted in the good faith and belief that its approach was both lawful and constitutional.
With regards to security practices, it would be inappropriate to comment on the compliance of any individual as to their National Security Vetting outside of the proper channels for doing so; these being internal to the security vetting regime. All such channels are confidential in order to ensure the integrity of the process, and the privacy and confidentiality of the subject(s).
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his department has made of (a) the implications for his policies of the WHO report entitled Global Tuberculosis Report 2019 and (b) the potential effect of a new TB vaccine on achieving the (i) SDG target of ending the TB epidemic by 2030 and (ii) WHO End TB Strategy of reducing TB deaths by 95% and cutting new cases of TB by 90% between 2015 and 2035.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Global Tuberculosis Report 2019 provides important evidence on the challenge in tackling tuberculosis as an issue of global public health importance. We remain committed to the global effort and the World Health Organisation End Tuberculosis Strategy. We are proud to be at the forefront of work to prevent, detect and treat tuberculosis, including funding research to develop new treatments to tackle drug resistant tuberculosis. Our commitment to provide £1.4 billion to the latest replenishment of the Global Fund will help provide tuberculosis treatment and care for over 2 million people.
A new tuberculosis vaccine could potentially have a significant effect on reducing tuberculosis deaths, and there is cautious optimism about the results for one potential vaccine, although there is still a very high degree of uncertainty for this high-risk research. DFID carefully considers robust data on specific vaccines before taking a view on its role in tackling a disease, including its relative impact alongside other established interventions.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make it a requirement for police forces to adhere to a structured interview protocol.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The use of specific techniques, within lawful bounds, remains an operational matter for chief constables. We will continue to support the police to ensure they can effectively investigate crime and protect the public.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 291003 and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.
Answered by Jake Berry
All government departments are mandated to use the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy frameworks for the supply of gas, electricity and liquid fuels.
The CCS competes the frameworks on the open market and selects the energy providers according to a set of award criteria, normally based on price and quality.
The Department's main building is at 2 Marsham Street, which is operated through the Home Office PFI, which was signed in 2002. The supply of electricity is provided by the PFI provider and Home Office.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make it her policy to introduce regulations comparable to EU right to repair regulations for appliances after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Government supports measures which help to reduce the environmental impact of appliances and earlier this year voted in favour of new EU ecodesign measures which aim to improve both the energy efficiency and resource efficiency of products, for example by requiring them to be more easily repairable.
Although the UK will not be subject to these new ecodesign rules which will take effect after we have left the EU, we intend to consult on new UK ecodesign measures, including both energy efficiency requirements and requirements on repairability.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) compliance of the Government of the United States with the 2003 UK-US extradition treaty and (a) effectiveness of that treaty for UK purposes.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The UK-US extradition treaty is fair and balanced. The United States is fully compliant with its obligations under the treaty and it is effective for the purpose of extraditing wanted persons to the UK.
Where someone in the UK is wanted by any country, the courts are able to exercise appropriate scrutiny over any request.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on compassionate use programmes that allow the use of an unauthorised medicine.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In the United Kingdom, there are currently arrangements in place for unlicensed medicines to be provided that are either manufactured in the UK or imported into the UK under a notification scheme. The national provisions are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (Statutory Instrument 2012/1916). Sponsor companies may set up compassionate use programmes under the direction of a prescribing physician for specific patients.
Where an unmet need has been identified, the Early Access to Medicines Scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency also provides opportunity for supply of medicines awaiting a licence. These are to be prescribed under the responsibility of the treating physician, supported by a published scientific opinion that has been considered by the Commission on Human Medicines.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to (a) introduce and (b) enforce of European standards for compostable packaging in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that innovation into biodegradable and compostable packaging could help reduce the environmental impacts of packaging if it is disposed of in the right way. However, currently this is often not the case. If biodegradable packaging is put in the domestic waste bin, for example, it is likely to end up in landfill and can break down to release powerful greenhouse gases, such as methane. If biodegradable plastic is mistakenly recycled with other plastics, it has the potential to damage the quality of the new products made from the recycled plastic.
As a consequence of these concerns, the Government published a call for evidence in July 2019 to help consider the development of standards or certification criteria for all bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics to better understand their effects on the environment and our current waste system. As we develop our proposals to reform the packaging producer responsibility system we will consider the role of composting, informed by the outputs of this work.
Building on commitments in the Resources and Waste Strategy we launched a consultation earlier this year on reforming the packaging producer responsibility system, which proposed a mandatory UK-wide labelling system that provides clear information to help people to recycle. Defra officials are exploring how a mandatory labelling scheme can address consumer confusion about what to do with compostable packaging. We will take primary powers in the Environment Bill to enable us to implement a mandatory labelling scheme. The consultation closed on 13 May and the summary of responses and next steps can be found via the below link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/packaging-waste-changing-the-uk-producer-responsibility-system-for-packaging-waste