Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations her Department has received from BAME sub-postmasters about the Horizon system.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Individuals making representations do not generally report their ethnicity, therefore, we do not hold this information.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many sub-postmasters from (a) Manchester Gorton constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West voluntarily left the Post Office due to issues with Horizon, broken down by ethnicity.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We do not have the regional breakdown of the number of postmasters who voluntarily left Post office due to Horizon. However, we know that at least 2,700 overall postmasters have been affected by Horizon issues as there have been 2417 Horizon Shortfall Scheme applicants (and a further 336 eligible late claims to date); 101 overturned convictions; and 492 who are currently eligible for the Group Litigation Order Scheme.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will list the number of sub-postmasters affected by Horizon, broken down by ethnicity.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade does not collate information regarding the number of sub-postmasters affected by Horizon according to ethnicity.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken for the Horizon compensation scheme.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Post Office does not have specific requirements to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment in delivering compensation. However, the Department has carried out assessments of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), Overturned Convictions and Group Litigation Order (GLO) compensation against the Public Sector Equality Duty to ensure that due regard is given to the responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, including measures to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Department for Transport during the oral question on Access for All of 8 June 2023, Official Report, column 856, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the projects receiving funding from the Access for All programme.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of train stations across Britain. We are assessing over 300 nominations for funding under the Access for All programme. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to all platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Libya's climate vulnerability on peace and stability in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The devastating floods in eastern Libya in September 2023 underscore how climate vulnerability exacerbates the untenable political status quo in Libya. The UK believes an inclusive, representative political solution that delivers long-term stability and security is the key to ensuring effective governance. Libya has domestic funds available for its recovery. The challenge for reconstruction is the absence of financial transparency through a body which reflects the views of all Libyans across geographic and political divides. The UK is fully committed to supporting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to drive forward a UN-facilitated, Libyan-led political process.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the political situation in Libya on regional stability.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The current political impasse leaves Libya vulnerable to external powers seeking to sow instability in the region for their own gain, including hostile state actors and terrorist groups. For example, stagnation on the political process has allowed the Russian Wagner Group to conduct destabilising activities, to further their aims at the expense of Libyans, whilst using Libya as a base to destabilise the region. The UK-drafted UNSCR-2570, agreed unanimously in April 2021, makes clear that all foreign forces and mercenaries must leave Libya without delay, including the Russian Wagner Group. The UK government remains clear that a political solution is needed to mitigate these destabilising activities and deliver for the Libyan people.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterparts (a) in Libya and (b) internationally on de-escalating tensions in Libya.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to engage with Libyan interlocutors to encourage them to work constructively with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily as he seeks to facilitate a political agreement. This aims to address the underlying issues preventing elections, as demonstrated by the UK-led UN Presidential Statement on 16 March. We support SRSG Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government, and continue to work with Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Turkey, UAE and the US in support of the UN-led political process.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to consult representatives of Muslim organisations on the effectiveness of the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office works with a number of stakeholders in relation to the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and our wider work on protective security for faith communities, including the police, delivery partners, other government departments, devolved administrations and faith and community organisations.
We continue to work closely with these stakeholders to understand the safety and security issues affecting Muslim communities in the UK, to ensure that our protective security interventions remain effective and aligned with good practice.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations his Department consulted when establishing the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office works with a number of stakeholders in relation to the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and our wider work on protective security for faith communities, including the police, delivery partners, other government departments, devolved administrations and faith and community organisations.
We continue to work closely with these stakeholders to understand the safety and security issues affecting Muslim communities in the UK, to ensure that our protective security interventions remain effective and aligned with good practice.