Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the viability of the private hire and hackney carriage trade.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department has regular engagement with taxi and private hire vehicle stakeholders and understands that there is strong demand for their services. The Government will publish revised best practice guidance for licensing authorities in due course. This will encourage proportionate regulation to enable the sector to deliver safe, accessible, and affordable services that meet the differing needs of passengers.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency on the use of the official Palestinian Authority school curriculum in schools in the West Bank and Gaza; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise that UNRWA needs to be on a more secure financial footing to ensure that Palestinian refugees' basic needs are met. On 22 September 2022 in New York, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, attended a ministerial dialogue on UNRWA's financial situation where he reiterated UK support for the agency and the need for the international community to support it to be on a more viable financial footing. We accompany our support for the UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values. We also regularly raise the issue of textbook content with the Palestinian Authority directly. Lord Ahmad also reinforced this message during his visit to a UNRWA school on 12 January.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on aid contributions to (a) the Palestinian Authority and (b) the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise that UNRWA needs to be on a more secure financial footing to ensure that Palestinian refugees' basic needs are met. On 22 September 2022 in New York, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, attended a ministerial dialogue on UNRWA's financial situation where he reiterated UK support for the agency and the need for the international community to support it to be on a more viable financial footing. We accompany our support for the UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values. We also regularly raise the issue of textbook content with the Palestinian Authority directly. Lord Ahmad also reinforced this message during his visit to a UNRWA school on 12 January.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What progress he has made on devolving power to local communities.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Through the announcement of six new devolution deals last year and most recently ground-breaking trailblazer devolution deals with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities, as well as the publication of the English Devolution Accountability Framework, Government is empowering local leaders by ensuring they have more control and influence over the decisions that affect their communities.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, what progress has been made on (a) the review of Education Oversight bodies and (b) appointing new Education Oversight partners for English Language Centres; and will she make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We keep our immigration policies and processes under constant review, including any future appointment of educational oversight bodies. Any updates will be communicated by my officials in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing licensed student sponsors who are not eligible to register with the Office for Students to achieve a track record of compliance in England; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Student sponsors which are eligible to register with the Office for Students (OfS) as higher education providers in England continue to gain track record sponsor status once they have passed an annual basic compliance assessment conducted by UKVI for four consecutive years as set out in the Student sponsor guidance which is published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the wider adoption of biomass plastics to reduce plastic waste; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In April 2021, we published our response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics. Concerns were raised that the full environmental impacts of bio-based plastics, including land and water usage for example, were potentially greater overall compared with conventional based plastics.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. During the production of these materials, there are a number of factors we need to better understand – we need to consider water consumption, the impact of crop switching and carbon footprint, so a full lifecycle approach is considered. On the basis of current information, a key area of interest for Government is bio-based plastics derived from materials that would otherwise have been waste.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of offering (a) financial incentives and (b) introducing a tax to encourage the use of biomass plastic; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of running a publicity campaign to raise awareness of biomass plastics as an alternative to regular plastics; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support defence jobs in all regions of the UK.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The most recent estimate shows Ministry of Defence investment supports 219,000 jobs in industries across the UK.
Continued high, and focussed, investment in defence, along with the changes we continue to make as part of our Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, will contribute to further economic growth and prosperity, including jobs, across the Union.