Ged Killen Portrait

Ged Killen

Labour (Co-op) - Former Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West

First elected: 8th June 2017

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)


Ged Killen is not a member of any APPGs
5 Former APPG memberships
Green Deal Misselling, Photonics, Plumbers' Pensions, Technology Addiction, Unpaid Work Trials
Scottish Affairs Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019


Division Voting information

Ged Killen has voted in 376 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

25 Jun 2018 - National Policy Statement: Airports - View Vote Context
Ged Killen voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 94 Labour No votes vs 119 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 415 Noes - 119
31 Jan 2018 - Restoration and Renewal (Report of the Joint Committee) - View Vote Context
Ged Killen voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 162 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 47 Noes - 410
View All Ged Killen Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
David Mundell (Conservative)
(11 debate interactions)
John Bercow (Speaker)
(9 debate interactions)
Karen Bradley (Conservative)
(9 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(39 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(24 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(14 debate contributions)
Ministry of Defence
(12 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Ged Killen's debates

Rutherglen and Hamilton West Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

Removing them will only penalize the poorest old age pensioners, many who rely on their television for company and their main source of entertainment.

The impartiality of the BBC is in question and needs addressing so as to protect its charter

The quality of BBC programmes do not reflect the price of the TV license. It is far too expensive for the majority of people and should be abolished.

As a gay man I find it devastating how members of the LGBT community are still subjected to homophobic abuse online.

The Brexit process has been a failure. At the end of two years, our ruling party is bitterly divided, the main opposition not a viable replacement for it, and the deal we have negotiated is almost universally opposed.
No one voted for this to happen.

The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now.

The UK voted in a referendum in 2016 to Leave the EU....this wasn't dependent on a " deal" ....but rather just "Leave"
we are now demanding that all mp's honour this result .conservative and labour mp's also agreed to leave on 29/03/19...... deal or no deal as part of their gen election campaign

Every year fireworks are set off unnecessarily.
Fireworks are a nuisance to the public. They scare animals, young children and people with a phobia.
They injure thousands of people every year.
They cause damage to buildings, vehicles,emergancy vehicles etc.
Lastly Kids are STILL being sold them.

That this Government without delay recognises the need for a non-means tested bridging pension for women born on or after 6/4/1950 who are affected by the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts and compensate those at risk of losing up to around £45,000, to also give proper notification for any future changes.


Latest EDMs signed by Ged Killen

16th October 2019
Ged Killen signed this EDM on Friday 18th October 2019

Firework safety

Tabled by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
That this House acknowledges the distress faced by countless individuals and families as a result of the improper use of fireworks in the lead up to and during bonfire night; welcomes the recent Scottish Government consultation, which invited the public to express their views on the sale of fireworks, on …
40 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Nov 2019)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 20
Labour: 12
Independent: 3
Conservative: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Crossbench: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
16th October 2019
Ged Killen signed this EDM on Thursday 17th October 2019

ASDA contract 6

Tabled by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
That this House notes with concern the decision by ASDA to proceed with proposals to put all hourly paid employees on flexible contracts (Contract 6) despite considerable concern about the proposed changes to employee terms and conditions; further notes that the flexibility clause in Contract 6 will force employees to …
48 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 32
Scottish National Party: 9
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Independent: 2
Conservative: 1
Liberal Democrat: 1
View All Ged Killen's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Ged Killen, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Ged Killen has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Ged Killen has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Ged Killen


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to prohibit cash machine charges; to require banks to enable free cash withdrawals from current accounts in other circumstances; to require the Financial Conduct Authority to supervise an access to banking standard; to impose penalties for breaches of that standard; to establish a financial inclusion fund, and provide for amounts received in such penalties to be paid into that fund; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 16th May 2018
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
4 Other Department Questions
3rd Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if the Government will produce a reanalysis of the data collected in the National LGBT Survey to provide a regional breakdown of the responses to each question.

In line with the Government’s approach to open data, we will explore how best to make as much of the national LGBT survey data available as possible.

We will not share or publish any data from which individuals can be identified, but we will look to publish more aggregate-level, anonymous data which will be of use to the public at large.

We will be looking to publish more of the data later in the year, and as part of this release, we will look to provide regional breakdowns.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
3rd Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government plans to make the anonymised raw data from the National LGBT Survey publically available.

In line with the Government’s approach to open data, we will explore how best to make as much of the national LGBT survey data available as possible.

We will not share or publish any data from which individuals can be identified, but we will look to publish more aggregate-level, anonymous data which will be of use to the public at large.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
16th Oct 2017
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 901069, whether the Government has plans to develop and implement best practice guidelines to ensure local providers account for sexual-gender identity within service provision.

In 2015, the Government published guidance for employers and service providers on how to specifically support and include transgender people at work. This helps them to meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

We also recently issued instructions to offender management services to improve the treatment and management of transgender offenders. The new guidelines state that all transgender prisoners must be allowed to express the gender with which they identify.

Our National lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Survey has recently closed and we will use the data we collected from this to help to identify areas that service provision needs to improve for LGBT people.

9th Oct 2017
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress the Government is making on its consultation with LGBT people on their experiences of accessing public services.

The National LGBT Survey will be closing on 15 October. We have received over 100,000 responses. We will analyse and publish the results and use the evidence to inform government policy on LGBT equality.

17th Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants received voluntary redundancy under the 2016 terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme before those terms were quashed by judicial review and the 2010 terms were reinstated.

350 individuals received and accepted an offer of Voluntary Redundancy under the 2016 Civil Service Compensation Scheme terms.

3rd Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 158812 on Civil Servants: Redundancy, what obligations the Government has to those people that left on a payment under the 2016 Civil Service Compensation Scheme terms.

The Government has reviewed all exits under the 2016 Civil Service Compensation Scheme and where appropriate has made additional payments so that the same total amount has been paid as would have been under the 2010 Civil Service Compensation Scheme terms.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
28th Jun 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to provide a fair and appropriate remedy for those civil servants who received voluntary redundancy under the 2016 terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme as set out in the letter of March 2018 from the Minister for Implementation to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

The Government has given careful consideration to ensure it meets its obligations to provide fair and appropriate remedy for individuals that left on a payment under the 2016 Civil Service Compensation Scheme terms.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
22nd Jan 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings with Ministers Keith Cochrane attended in his role on the Government Network of non-Executive directors.

As a routine, departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK, including those with representatives from companies such as Carillion. Cabinet Office returns can be viewed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
16th Nov 2017
To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions she has had with the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party on (a) the advancement of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples living in Northern Ireland and (b) the recognition in Northern Ireland of the relationship status of same-sex couples married elsewhere in the UK.

My position on this issue is clear and well known. I voted in support of equal marriage in England and Wales and hope this can be extended to Northern Ireland in the future. However, the fundamental position remains that equal marriage is an entirely devolved issue in Northern Ireland and one that should be resolved by a restored Assembly.

11th Dec 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many complaints he has received under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc.) Regulations 2012; and on how many of those complaints he has issued a decision.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received ninety four cases under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 (the Regulations). To date, three final decisions and intention notices for two other cases have been issued.

The Department is committed to resolving all these cases fairly and as quickly as possible. However, the complex and legal nature of the redress process prescribed by the Regulations and volume of information we receive from consumers means complaints take some time to resolve. In most cases we need to go back to the consumer to seek further information to determine whether a breach has occurred which has caused (or is likely to cause) the consumer to suffer ‘substantive loss’. We also have to allow for periods during which representations can be made.

The Department has obtained additional support to review cases in order to speed up the process and is aiming to address these appeals over the next few months.

The Department has separately put in place a process for redress at an earlier stage with the Green Deal Finance Company. This process relates to one particular Green Deal Provider, HELMS. Thus far, over 100 customers have received a settlement through that process.

12th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 128285 on Green Deal Scheme, what progress the Government has made on improving and revitalising the Green Deal; what progress his Department has made on considering the results from the call for Evidence on the Green Deal Framework; and what the timetable is for consultations on potential reforms to the Green Deal.

We began a fundamental review of the Green Deal Framework by publishing a Call for Evidence in October 2017. The Department has reviewed responses to the Call for Evidence and we plan to publish a summary of responses shortly. We will then consider the next steps for the review of the Framework, including the timetable for when we would consult on more significant proposals.

23rd Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what is the average waiting time was for a decision on a green deal complaint raised with the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framewor (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012.

To date, there have been 54 complaints received by the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 (‘the Regulations’). These complaints include 34 consumers who have rejected an offer made by a finance party to reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan.

Out of the 54 complaints received, one has completed the Green Deal sanctions process associated with consumer redress. In that case, no sanction was imposed as no redress beyond that provided by the finance party in question (which was cancellation of the loan and refund of loan repayments) was possible under the Regulations. The Secretary of State has issued intention notices for three further cases.

There may be Green Deal complaints with other bodies which have not been passed to the Department, and it is therefore not possible to accurately calculate the proportion of complaints that have been brought to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

The legal nature of the redress process and detailed information involved means complaints can take some time to resolve. The case that has completed the sanction process took six months to resolve from being formally received by the Secretary of State. These are complex cases and the Department remains committed to resolving cases fairly and as quickly as possible.

23rd Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of green deal complaints are appealed to the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012.

To date, there have been 54 complaints received by the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 (‘the Regulations’). These complaints include 34 consumers who have rejected an offer made by a finance party to reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan.

Out of the 54 complaints received, one has completed the Green Deal sanctions process associated with consumer redress. In that case, no sanction was imposed as no redress beyond that provided by the finance party in question (which was cancellation of the loan and refund of loan repayments) was possible under the Regulations. The Secretary of State has issued intention notices for three further cases.

There may be Green Deal complaints with other bodies which have not been passed to the Department, and it is therefore not possible to accurately calculate the proportion of complaints that have been brought to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

The legal nature of the redress process and detailed information involved means complaints can take some time to resolve. The case that has completed the sanction process took six months to resolve from being formally received by the Secretary of State. These are complex cases and the Department remains committed to resolving cases fairly and as quickly as possible.

23rd Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many complaints about the Green Deal have been raised with him under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012; and how many of his decisions resulted in (a) a reduction (b) a cancellation (c) no sanction and (d) no cancellation in respect of a green deal loan.

To date, there have been 54 complaints received by the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 (‘the Regulations’). These complaints include 34 consumers who have rejected an offer made by a finance party to reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan.

Out of the 54 complaints received, one has completed the Green Deal sanctions process associated with consumer redress. In that case, no sanction was imposed as no redress beyond that provided by the finance party in question (which was cancellation of the loan and refund of loan repayments) was possible under the Regulations. The Secretary of State has issued intention notices for three further cases.

There may be Green Deal complaints with other bodies which have not been passed to the Department, and it is therefore not possible to accurately calculate the proportion of complaints that have been brought to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

The legal nature of the redress process and detailed information involved means complaints can take some time to resolve. The case that has completed the sanction process took six months to resolve from being formally received by the Secretary of State. These are complex cases and the Department remains committed to resolving cases fairly and as quickly as possible.

7th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on employers requiring staff to travel into work during a red weather warning; and if she will make a statement.

BEIS does not collect information on employers requiring staff to travel into work during a red weather warning.

7th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on employers requesting workers to travel into work during a red weather warning.

We would encourage employers to exercise common sense and consider the advice given by agencies such as the Met Office on travelling in such adverse conditions.

Employers should consider their legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, if asking employees to travel for work.

Guidance for driving at work can be found in HSE’s leaflet: INDG382 Driving for Work, www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether existing providers will have to undergo new quality and standards checks before participating in the new green deal scheme.

The Green Deal Framework remains in place and we are aware that various sources of private finance have continued to be utilised under the Framework. As such, the Green Deal was at no point ended and consequently will not be “re-launched”.

We are, however, looking to improve and revitalise the Green Deal. My department published a Call for Evidence on the Green Deal Framework in October 2017. We are considering the responses and will consult on any proposals to reform the Green Deal in due course. Current participants in the Green Deal scheme must continue to adhere to all the requirements of the scheme that apply to them.

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce a new code of practice for green deal providers and assessors in the relaunched green deal.

The Green Deal Framework remains in place and we are aware that various sources of private finance have continued to be utilised under the Framework. As such, the Green Deal was at no point ended and consequently will not be “re-launched”.

We are, however, looking to improve and revitalise the Green Deal. My department published a Call for Evidence on the Green Deal Framework in October 2017. We are considering the responses and will consult on any proposals to reform the Green Deal in due course. Current participants in the Green Deal scheme must continue to adhere to all the requirements of the scheme that apply to them.

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many green deal providers were refused the right to produce green deal reports.

Green Deal Providers are just one of four key authorised participants involved in the Green Deal customer journey, each with different customer interactions. There are also differences in the requirements to become authorised participants. The criteria that they have to meet are set out in the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012.

Organisations are not required to have UKAS approval in order to become Green Deal Providers.

It is not the Provider’s role to produce Green Deal reports (or “Green Deal Advice Reports”). This is the responsibility of the Green Deal Assessor. No Providers, therefore, have been refused the right to produce Green Deal reports.

The table below sets out the number of organisations, by year, who have been registered as Green Deal Providers. These numbers do not take account of the numbers by year who have withdrawn from the scheme. The total number of currently-authorised Providers is 169.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

19

100

52

16

11

7

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many green deal providers have registered with the Green Deal Registration and Oversight Body in each year since that body has been established.

Green Deal Providers are just one of four key authorised participants involved in the Green Deal customer journey, each with different customer interactions. There are also differences in the requirements to become authorised participants. The criteria that they have to meet are set out in the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012.

Organisations are not required to have UKAS approval in order to become Green Deal Providers.

It is not the Provider’s role to produce Green Deal reports (or “Green Deal Advice Reports”). This is the responsibility of the Green Deal Assessor. No Providers, therefore, have been refused the right to produce Green Deal reports.

The table below sets out the number of organisations, by year, who have been registered as Green Deal Providers. These numbers do not take account of the numbers by year who have withdrawn from the scheme. The total number of currently-authorised Providers is 169.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

19

100

52

16

11

7

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many green deal providers were not certified by UKAS as meeting the green deal standard in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Green Deal Providers are just one of four key authorised participants involved in the Green Deal customer journey, each with different customer interactions. There are also differences in the requirements to become authorised participants. The criteria that they have to meet are set out in the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012.

Organisations are not required to have UKAS approval in order to become Green Deal Providers.

It is not the Provider’s role to produce Green Deal reports (or “Green Deal Advice Reports”). This is the responsibility of the Green Deal Assessor. No Providers, therefore, have been refused the right to produce Green Deal reports.

The table below sets out the number of organisations, by year, who have been registered as Green Deal Providers. These numbers do not take account of the numbers by year who have withdrawn from the scheme. The total number of currently-authorised Providers is 169.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

19

100

52

16

11

7

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many green deal providers were investigated by the green deal oversight body between 2015 and 2018.

Since the Green Deal was introduced, two companies have been investigated by the Green Deal Ombudsman and Investigation Service. The first was concluded in 2015 by a sanction against the company Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd. The other investigation took place during 2015 and did not lead to a sanction. Separately, the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body carried out 44 audits of Green Deal Providers since 2013.

19th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many green deal providers were investigated by the green deal oversight body between 2013 and 2015.

Since the Green Deal was introduced, two companies have been investigated by the Green Deal Ombudsman and Investigation Service. The first was concluded in 2015 by a sanction against the company Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd. The other investigation took place during 2015 and did not lead to a sanction. Separately, the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body carried out 44 audits of Green Deal Providers since 2013.

18th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that post offices provide free access to ATMs when there is no other ATM within 1km of that post office.

The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with industry to ensure that this access is maintained.

LINK, the main scheme behind the UK’s ATM network, has assured us that industry is committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use cash machines, and to ensuring that the present geographical spread of ATMs is maintained. LINK intends to bolster its Financial Inclusion Programme, which ensures the provision of ATMs in areas of deprivation, where demand would not otherwise make one viable, and has also committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which Government set up as an independent regulator in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users, is monitoring developments within ATM provision, and is conducting ongoing work on the impact that changes may have. The PSR has recently published a summary of their work to date, which can be found at https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-UK-ATM-network.

The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should any of the firms it regulates behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives.

99% of UK personal bank accounts and 95% of small business accounts can be accessed to withdraw cash and deposit cash and cheques over the counter in any of the UK’s network of over 11,600 post offices.

18th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of whether the post office network will have the capacity to meet any increase in demand for banking services after the closure of a number of RBS and NatWest bank branches; and if he will make a statement.

The Government is committed to improving access to financial services for all consumers and small businesses in the UK.

99% of UK personal bank accounts and 95% of small business accounts can be accessed to withdraw cash and deposit cash and cheques over the counter in any of the UK’s network of over 11,600 post offices. It is the operational responsibility of the Post Office to meet its contractual obligations under the agreement it has with the banks to provide banking services.

14th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation on the level of cold calling from (a) inside and (b) outside the EU.

The General Data Protection Regulation will ensure that data processed within the EU, and the data of European citizens processed outside the EU, is done in accordance with the Regulation's principles.

14th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation on (a) nuisance calls and (b) the ability of nuisance callers to retain and share personal data.

The General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Bill - currently progressing through Parliament - will require organisations to apply the data protection principles. Organisations using personal data to make nuisance calls risks breaching these principles. Organisations may be liable to the new financial penalties and other enforcement action if they are found to be in breach of the rules.

26th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) frequency and (b) viability of large-scale automated ticket reselling of the (a) Digital Economy Act 2017 and (b) other recent steps the Government has taken.

We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market, whilst ensuring there are no unintentional consequences for the operations of the events sector.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 provides the power to create a specific offence, where tickets are purchased electronically, of purchasing more tickets than the maximum permitted, to address concerns over large scale automated ticket reselling. We intend to enact this power via secondary legislation later this year, and will be monitoring its effectiveness once enacted. This measure is in addition to existing measures in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 relating to the information about tickets offered for sale on the secondary market, along with the additional requirement also contained in the Digital Economy Act for ticket sellers to provide a unique ticket number when re-selling a ticket, where one has originally been given.

We recognise that Government can’t act alone in addressing this issue, and that the ticketing industry, regulatory bodies, and online platforms need to take actions themselves. We welcome the action taken earlier this month by the Advertising Standards Authority against four of the main operators in the secondary ticketing sector banning the misleading presentation of pricing information on their websites, which we hope will help improve transparency in the market and help consumers find legitimate official ticketing sites.

The measures set out above, together with the ongoing enforcement work of the National Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, and industry’s own initiatives should go a long way to reducing people’s frustrations at the way the ticketing market works.

26th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the steps taken by the Advertising Standards Authority as a result of its investigation into the big four secondary ticketing websites; and if he will make a statement.

We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market, whilst ensuring there are no unintentional consequences for the operations of the events sector.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 provides the power to create a specific offence, where tickets are purchased electronically, of purchasing more tickets than the maximum permitted, to address concerns over large scale automated ticket reselling. We intend to enact this power via secondary legislation later this year, and will be monitoring its effectiveness once enacted. This measure is in addition to existing measures in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 relating to the information about tickets offered for sale on the secondary market, along with the additional requirement also contained in the Digital Economy Act for ticket sellers to provide a unique ticket number when re-selling a ticket, where one has originally been given.

We recognise that Government can’t act alone in addressing this issue, and that the ticketing industry, regulatory bodies, and online platforms need to take actions themselves. We welcome the action taken earlier this month by the Advertising Standards Authority against four of the main operators in the secondary ticketing sector banning the misleading presentation of pricing information on their websites, which we hope will help improve transparency in the market and help consumers find legitimate official ticketing sites.

The measures set out above, together with the ongoing enforcement work of the National Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, and industry’s own initiatives should go a long way to reducing people’s frustrations at the way the ticketing market works.

26th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the revenue of the entertainment and sports industries of consumers paying higher prices for tickets purchased through secondary sites and less on further tickets and purchases at music and sports venues.

We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market, whilst ensuring there are no unintentional consequences for the operations of the events sector.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 provides the power to create a specific offence, where tickets are purchased electronically, of purchasing more tickets than the maximum permitted, to address concerns over large scale automated ticket reselling. We intend to enact this power via secondary legislation later this year, and will be monitoring its effectiveness once enacted. This measure is in addition to existing measures in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 relating to the information about tickets offered for sale on the secondary market, along with the additional requirement also contained in the Digital Economy Act for ticket sellers to provide a unique ticket number when re-selling a ticket, where one has originally been given.

We recognise that Government can’t act alone in addressing this issue, and that the ticketing industry, regulatory bodies, and online platforms need to take actions themselves. We welcome the action taken earlier this month by the Advertising Standards Authority against four of the main operators in the secondary ticketing sector banning the misleading presentation of pricing information on their websites, which we hope will help improve transparency in the market and help consumers find legitimate official ticketing sites.

The measures set out above, together with the ongoing enforcement work of the National Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, and industry’s own initiatives should go a long way to reducing people’s frustrations at the way the ticketing market works.

23rd Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a percentage cap on the amount that tickets can be sold above face value on secondary ticketing websites.

The Government has a continuing interest in the area of secondary ticketing, and recognises the process of distributing and buying tickets can often be a cause for public frustration and concern. We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour and improve fans’ chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price. We have strengthened the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in this area, and will shortly be introducing secondary legislation to make it an offence to purchase more tickets than that permitted by an event organiser online.

An independent review of consumer protection measures was commissioned by the Government in 2015, undertaken by Professor Waterson, which was published in May 2016. The Government published its response to the review on 13th March 2017, which welcomed the Review and accepted all nine recommendations contained in the review in full. Professor Waterson specifically considered the issue of a cap on ticket resale prices, and we agree with his conclusion that it should not be taken forward as it would raise a number of practical considerations and be of limited effect, as it would be extremely difficult to enforce.

27th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2018 to Question 125135, on Housing: Broadband, if she will make initial reports on the effectiveness of the Government's brokered agreement available to (a) the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee and (b) the Scottish Affairs Select Committee inquiry into digital connectivity in Scotland.

The agreement brokered by DCMS between the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Openreach offers full fibre broadband to new builds at no cost to the developer when threshold conditions have been met. Virgin and GTC have similar agreements with the HBF. DCMS’s Barrier Busting Task Force are in the process of measuring the impact of these agreements and will report to the Select Committees once that work is complete.

27th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2018 to Question 125135, on Housing: Broadband, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that brokered agreement.

The agreement brokered by DCMS between the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Openreach offers full fibre broadband to new builds at no cost to the developer when threshold conditions have been met. Virgin and GTC have similar agreements with the HBF. DCMS’s Barrier Busting Task Force are in the process of measuring the impact of these agreements and will report to the Select Committees once that work is complete.

26th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of reports of poor broadband provision for new housing developments, particularly developments in rural and sub-urban areas.

My Department brokered an agreement in February 2016 between the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Openreach to connect new build developments to superfast broadband, and where possible, ultrafast broadband. Both Virgin Media and the utility provider GTC have made similar agreements with the HBF. Whilst these are voluntary agreements between industry stakeholders, we are monitoring the effectiveness of the agreements closely and, as part of this, reports of poor broadband provision for new housing development. We are prepared to explore further measures, including legislative options if necessary, in order to ensure residents get the connectivity they deserve.

26th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the number of broadband cabinets that are (a) at capacity and (b) over capacity; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of full to capacity cabinets on broadband speeds.

The department does not hold information on the overall number of cabinets that are currently at capacity. Thinkbroadband (www.thinkbroadband.com) have recently estimated that between 1,500 and 2,500 of Openreach’s 79,000 cabinets are at capacity at any point in time.

26th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent cold calls from call centres based abroad being routed through UK phone lines to appear as domestic telephone numbers.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) independently regulate the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, the framework which governs unsolicited direct marketing and nuisance calls. Unsolicited calls coming from beyond our jurisdiction remain a concern, although the ICO has not identified any noticeable or recent increase in volume in respect of this issue.

To help tackle the problem, the ICO engages with the Do Not Call Forum of the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network, which includes overseas regulators with responsibility for tackling nuisance calls. The ICO works with other members, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and regulators in South Africa and Australia, to drive forward co-ordinated actions, including sharing relevant intelligence. They are also exploring with local trade associations, representing call centres based in India and other countries, ways to work with relevant authorities to tackle the problem at source.

The Government have already forced companies to display their number when calling, and made it easier for the ICO to prosecute those in breach of direct marketing legislation. We continue to review the ICO's powers of enforcement, and will consider what we are able to do to assist them in tackling this problem.

18th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on introducing compulsory Relationships and Sex Education in schools by September 2019.

The Department is currently assessing the evidence gathered during an engagement process, including a call for evidence, to support decisions on the content of Relationships Education for primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education for secondary schools, and on the status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education.

The Department plans to publish the results of the call for evidence shortly alongside a consultation on draft regulations and accompanying statutory guidance, before laying the regulations in the House for debate.

The Department is working towards schools being able to teach the new subjects from September 2019.

9th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government is making on engaging with stakeholders on the scope and content of Relationships and Sex Education; and if he will publish an (a) summary of evidence received and (b) list of those stakeholders.

The Department has conducted a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and on the status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, involving a wide-range of interested stakeholders, including those representing the interests of LGBT groups such as Stonewall and Terrence Higgins Trust.

The Department has also sought views on these subjects from parents, teachers, young people and other interested parties through a call for evidence, which closed on 12 February. The call for evidence attracted over 23,000 responses.

The Department is currently considering the responses and will publish the outcome of the call for evidence and the engagement process in due course.

9th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's engagement with stakeholders on the scope and content of Relationships and Sex Education, if he will publish a summary of the evidence received from stakeholder groups representing LGBT people.

The Department has conducted a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and on the status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, involving a wide-range of interested stakeholders, including those representing the interests of LGBT groups such as Stonewall and Terrence Higgins Trust.

The Department has also sought views on these subjects from parents, teachers, young people and other interested parties through a call for evidence, which closed on 12 February. The call for evidence attracted over 23,000 responses.

The Department is currently considering the responses and will publish the outcome of the call for evidence and the engagement process in due course.

27th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the consequences of the UK changing its regulatory standard away from the REACH chemical use and transport regulations for chemicals produced or imported into the UK once the UK leaves the EU.

The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will convert current EU law into domestic law. This will include REACH as well as other related chemicals regulation. This will mean that the standards established by REACH will continue to apply in the UK.

We will continue publishing impact assessments to accompany legislation, where appropriate. An impact assessment was published alongside the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

27th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to adopt the REACH chemical use and transport regulations for chemicals produced and imported into the UK after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

The Withdrawal Bill will convert current EU law into domestic law wherever practical, giving consumers and businesses as much certainty as possible. This includes the REACH Regulation. The UK is strongly committed to the effective and safe management of chemicals. That will not change when we leave the EU.

As part of the exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and the 27 Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of chemicals regulation in the best interests of both the UK and the EU.

It would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations.

21st May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the implications for the Government's policies of the conclusions of the the paper, Northern Ireland and the UK’s Exit from the EU, What do people think, published by Queen’s University Belfast in May 2018.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed her commitments at Mansion House, recognising the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland, and our shared commitments to avoiding a hard border, including any physical infrastructure and related checks and controls between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Prime Minister has also been clear that we must ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s business to the whole of the UK’s internal market. We want a deal that works for all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.

We have always been clear from the outset that the best way to achieve this is through the overall relationship between the UK and the EU. We agreed in the Joint Report that a backstop option to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and maintain the economic integrity of the UK should be translated into legally binding text. The Prime Minister has been clear that the current drafting of the EU’s backstop proposal is unacceptable and we will bring forward our own proposal.

5th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to make it its policy to remove EU citizenship from UK citizens once the UK leaves the EU.

EU treaty provisions state that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State.

However, we know that in the future, many UK nationals will wish to continue to travel, live and work within the European Union, just as EU citizens will still wish to do so in the UK. We look forward to discussing our future relationship with the European Union, one which will work in the interest of both the UK and the EU.

24th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 118696 on Brexit and the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Scotland of 24 January 2018, what steps his Department is taking to make available the non-redacted sectoral reports to Members of the Scottish Parliament.

We have provided sectoral information to Parliament as required by the motion passed by the House of Commons on 1 November 2017. As we made clear on the 21 December 2017 in answer to Question 118696, the same information was shared with the devolved administrations and the reports are now the property of the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union. The Committee made these reports partially available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/exiting-the-european-union-committee/publications/


The Department will continue to balance our commitment to transparency with the need to protect information which could undermine the UK’s ability to negotiate the best deal for the UK. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.

11th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to make available the sectoral analysis papers he provided to the Exiting the European Union Committee to members of the (a) Scottish Parliament, (b) the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) members of the National Assembly for Wales; and if he will make a statement.

We have provided sectoral information to Parliament as required by the motion passed by the House of Commons on 1 November.


As we made clear in our written ministerial statement on 28 November, the same information was shared with the devolved administrations. You will be aware that under the Osmotherly Rules the reports are now the property of the aforementioned Committee. Therefore, you may wish to contact the Chair of the Commons Exiting the EU Committee directly.

7th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations he has received from the social care sector on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on non-UK EU staff working in that sector.

Ministers from the Department for Exiting the European Union have organised and undertaken more than 400 recorded engagements with business and civil society stakeholders from every sector of the British economy since July 2016. Details of ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.

The Government’s sector report on Medical Services and Social Care sets out a description of the sector and the current EU regulatory regime. This report has now been published by the Exiting the EU Committee.

10th May 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 217138, what designation has been assigned to those complaints.

I refer the honourable gentlemen to the answer previously given in response to Question 217138. The Independent Case Examiner closed all live complaints concerning changes to women’s State Pension age when they became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract. In the event the legal proceedings fall away or there is no determination on the matters which form the basis of this group of complaints, the Independent Case Examiner could consider reopening the cases at the request of the Department. The Department cannot evaluate the potential merits of making such a request until the legal proceedings have been concluded.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)