Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support Scouting and Girlguiding in the British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many officials in his Department are stationed on the British Antarctic Territory as of 20 May 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no officials stationed in the British Antarctic Territory. The Territory has no permanent population and is administered by officials in London. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) operates three research stations in the BAT and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) manage the historic base, post office and museum at Port Lockroy.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to ensure the security of the British Antarctic Territory.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
HMS PROTECTOR, the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, deployed to Antarctic during the last Austral Summer, as it does most years. This presence reaffirms UK sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory, as well as observing the presence of other nations and carrying out inspections in compliance with Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding his Department has provided for library resources in the London Borough of Havering in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The majority of the funding provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement is not ringfenced, in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities. This includes funding for libraries.
The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £64.7 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. This above-inflation increase demonstrates how the Government stands behind councils up and down the country.
For Havering Council, this Settlement represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £15.82 million (7.2%) – making available a total of up to £236.4 million in 2024-25. We have also published details of support agreed with a small number of councils, including Havering Council, that have requested financial support on an exceptional basis due to specific local issues that they are unable to manage themselves.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking in its role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council to help prevent further violence in (a) El Fasher and (b) Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the violence taking place across Sudan, including in El Fasher. On 8 March, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2724, led by the UK, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan during the month of Ramadan and urging the warring parties to ensure safe, unhindered humanitarian access. We condemn the fact that the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces did not heed this Resolution. On El Fasher, the UN Security Council agreed a UK-led press statement on 27 April, calling for de-escalation, and we also called for the Security Council to convene on the deteriorating situation, which it did on 29 April. The UK will continue to use its position as penholder at the UN Security Council to urge the warring parties to achieve a ceasefire, increase much-needed humanitarian assistance and access, and ensure the protection of civilians.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided for school library resources in the London Borough of Havering in each of the last five years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Overall school funding is increasing by more than £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year compared to 2023/24, taking the total to £60.7 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. Many headteachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classroom.
The department’s Reading Framework, updated in July 2023, offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on school libraries.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to take steps to help local authorities in Greater London tackle the illegal use of e-scooters.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Enforcement of road traffic law, including in relation to the illegal use of e-scooters, is an operational matter for the Mayor of London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation, including those relating to offences involving e-scooters.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to help the London Fire Brigade tackle electrical vehicle fires.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
To help reduce the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries in personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs), such as e-bikes and e-scooters, the Home Office has convened a working group of Government departments, the National fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and London Fire Brigade. As part of this group, the Home Office working to raise awareness of safe use, storage and charging of PLEVs within residential buildings. With London Fire Brigade’s permission and cooperation, we have adapted the #ChargeSafe campaign materials for national use and made these available to fire and rescue services to support local engagement activity.
In addition, the Home Office is collaborating with the NFCC, on behalf of all fire and rescue services, to undertake electric vehicle fire safety research to gather scientific evidence on electric vehicle battery fires and associated firefighting tactics.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on training for police officers in (a) Turks and Caicos Islands, (b) Bermuda and (c) Cayman Islands.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
While the UK works closely with US partners on a number of areas of cooperation, the Secretary of State has not had any conversations with his US counterpart relating to the training of police officers within the Turks and Caicos, Bermuda or Cayman Islands.
The Home Office, through the International Police Assistance Service (IPAS), are currently delivering training to Overseas Territories’ Police in line with identified requirements and funded by the International Security Fund (ISF).
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of monopodial bamboo on the UK's native flora and fauna.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The “bamboo” family is a collection of more than 1500 species, some of which are considered invasive.
The Government is aware that, if left uncontrolled, bamboo can in some cases become challenging to manage. It is advised that a physical barrier is used to prevent the uncontrolled spread of bamboo. Where the growth of bamboo poses an issue, the Government recommends that this is addressed by cooperation between owners and affected parties.
Whilst the Government recognises that many bamboo species are vigorous and fast-growing, they are not currently thought to pose a significant threat to wildlife or to socio-economic interests nationally. Defra utilises horizon scanning exercises to identify potentially invasive species. As a result, a risk assessment of Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) was recently undertaken, however this showed the species to be of low risk to the country and therefore no further action was taken.
Although the Government are not currently considering changing the legal status of one, or any, of the species of bamboo currently found in Great Britain, we keep matters such as these under review and continue to carry out horizon scanning and risk assessments for potential threats.