Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who will represent the Government at CoP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China, in the summer.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Kunming, China in October 2020.
The make-up of the UK delegation will be confirmed closer to the time and will be dependent on the conference agenda. Decisions about UK Ministerial involvement will also be made closer to the time.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase resources for (a) Action Fraud and (b) the police for the (i) investigation and (ii) prosecution of fraud.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Home Office has commissioned Sir Craig Mackey QPM to carry out a review of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), including fraud. The review is considering powers, capabilities, governance and effectiveness of funding across policing and wider law enforcement. It is due to report by the end of February 2020.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will take steps to negotiate a deal at CoP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity which (a) recognises the importance of biodiversity conservation for sustainable development and tackling climate change and (b) is aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK will be seeking an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to spur global action, recognising the transformative change needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Addressing this challenge and tackling climate change are critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of this post-2020 global biodiversity framework, the Government wants to see new targets agreed that are both ambitious and implementable, and it will be important that they are measurable. We recognise the major role nature-based solutions play in climate change mitigation and adaptation and are working to ensure the Convention on Biological Diversity framework and agreements at COP 26 reinforce this message that both need to be tackled together to deliver the necessary step change at the national and global levels.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a requirement for assisted living spaces to be provided in new housing developments.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government recognises the importance of meeting the housing needs of disabled, older and other vulnerable people including those with autism, and we keep under regular review how we can achieve this.
We have strengthened the revised National Planning Policy Framework so that local planning authorities are expected to have planning policies which identify the size, type and tenure of homes required for different groups in the community including disabled and older people, and we will shortly be consulting on improving accessibility standards for new homes.
We are also working with the social housing sector to boost new supply of much needed supported accommodation for disabled and older people.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to collate data on the number of prisoners not produced in court by companies operating prisoner escort contracts.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The next generation of Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contracts will commence in August this year. Under these contracts data specifically related to any contractor failure to produce prisoners in court will be collated.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to deploy (a) blended recycled plastic with bitumen and (b) other new technology to create more durable road surfaces.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is committed to exploring innovative ideas and processes for constructing, repairing and maintaining road surfaces. The Department for Transport is aware of a number of initiatives, both here in England and overseas, in which recycled plastic and other waste product materials are added as a binding mix to asphalt. Technological innovation in road maintenance processes can also improve efficiency and reduce waste by recycling existing road material.
As part of a Live Labs research programme, the Department for Transport, in conjunction with the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and private partners, announced in January 2019 that we were providing Cumbria County Council with £16 million to extend a trial for the selection and testing of recycled plastic in surfacing and structural treatments on the Local Road Network for which they are responsible. This trial will assess the suitability and durability of the plastics additives from minor patching work and pothole repairs through to major resurfacing.
Elsewhere, on the Strategic Road Network, Highways England is committed to investing in innovation to help meet the economic, environmental and efficiency challenges we face in our changing world. Its Innovation Designated Fund provides £150 million in the first Road Investment Strategy for innovation capital projects to discover and implement emerging technologies, new materials and ways of working. Highways England currently has no plans to deploy blended recycled plastic with bitumen in road surfaces, but it continues to investigate its potential for future use.
A trial of asphalt containing Ground Tyre Rubber was successfully completed along the M1 motorway in May 2019. By including a small amount of Ground Tyre Rubber into the asphalt surface it can present a good opportunity to re-cycle tyre rubber at its end-of-life, while not undermining asphalt properties and performance.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to collate data on the number of court days lost as a result of prisoners not being produced in court by companies operating prisoner escort contracts.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMCTS does record data on the number of trials that are ineffective in both Crown and Magistrate’s Courts as a result of a defendant not being produced by prisoner escort custody services. These statistics are published in Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publication on gov.uk and the latest data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2019
There is currently no requirement or plans for HMCTS to collate data on the number of court days lost as a result of prisoners not being produced in court by companies operating prisoner escort contracts.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to collate data on the costs incurred as a result of prisoners not being produced in court by companies operating prisoner escort contracts.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In both the current and next generation of the Prisoner Escort Custody Services contract there are financial remedies in place when contractors delay proceedings in courts.
There is currently no requirement or any plans for HMCTS to collate data on the costs incurred as a result of prisoners not being produced in court by companies operating prisoner escort contracts.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with officials at the National Cyber Security Centre on reforming the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Home Office officials have been engaging in regular discussions with all relevant stakeholders regarding possible reform of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 which includes the National Cyber Security Centre. 10417
The Home Office keeps the Computer Misuse Act 1990 under regular review. It was last amended through provisions contained in the Serious Crime Act 2015. The Home Office is engaged in ongoing discussions with relevant partners in law enforcement, government and the private sector to ensure that the legislation continues to remain effective. 10418
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the effectiveness of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in tackling the threat posed by cyber crime.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Home Office officials have been engaging in regular discussions with all relevant stakeholders regarding possible reform of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 which includes the National Cyber Security Centre. 10417
The Home Office keeps the Computer Misuse Act 1990 under regular review. It was last amended through provisions contained in the Serious Crime Act 2015. The Home Office is engaged in ongoing discussions with relevant partners in law enforcement, government and the private sector to ensure that the legislation continues to remain effective. 10418