Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to increase the level of the basic state pension to the level of the new state pension; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no such plans.
Direct comparisons between the old State Pension and the new State Pension systems are not appropriate. Although the systems are different, they both reflect the National Insurance contributions an individual has made.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether driving (a) lessons and (b) tests can resume in Tier 3 areas from 2 December 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Driving lessons resumed in all areas in England on 2 December 2020. Driving tests restarted in tier 1 and 2 areas in England on 2 December 2020, and in tier 3 areas on 3 December 2020 with additional mitigations. Theory tests restarted in all areas in England on 2 December 2020.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria he has set for increasing the limit on the number of spectators allowed in outdoor sports stadia during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The safety and security of players and spectators remains of paramount importance and we will continue to be led by wider public health guidance. The recently announced capacity limits have been agreed by the Government with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and Public Health England as a maximum capacity for spectators, in light of the updated Covid Tiering system. Capacity limits will be kept under review in line with wider public health policy decisions.
A series of successful pilot events demonstrated the ability of the sector to follow covid secure guidance. We have updated our guidance to the sector, and the SGSA’s SG02 guidance sets out explicit guidance on how safe socially distanced capacities can be maintained.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will exempt aluminised steel from the UK steel import quotas that are due to come into effect on 1 January 2021.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The priority of HM Government is to make sure that British industry retains appropriate trade remedy protections at the end of the transition period.
We have committed to carrying across existing measures where there is a British producer interest, including steel safeguard measures; of the 26 steel product categories currently covered by EU safeguard measures, we have worked with industry to identify 19 product categories that are relevant to Britain. Some aluminised products are amongst these categories.
The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) is currently conducting a transition review to consider whether it is appropriate to vary the United Kingdom's safeguard measures, extend them or revoke them. Interested parties can provide evidence to factor into TRID’s assessment.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her policy is on the inclusion of non-UK produced steel products in steel safeguarding tariffs and quotas; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The priority of HM Government is to make sure that British industry retains appropriate trade remedy protections at the end of the transition period.
We have committed to carrying across existing measures where there is a British producer interest, including steel safeguard measures; of the 26 steel product categories currently covered by EU safeguard measures, we have worked with industry to identify 19 product categories that are relevant to Britain. Some include aluminised products are amongst these categories.
The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) is currently conducting a transition review to consider whether it is appropriate to vary Britain’s safeguard measures, extend them or revoke them. Interested parties can provide evidence to factor into TRID’s assessment.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with the UK steel industry on the inclusion of aluminised steel in tariffs and quotas after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The priority of HM Government is to make sure that British industry retains appropriate trade remedy protections at the end of the transition period.
We have committed to carrying across existing measures where there is a British producer interest, including steel safeguard measures; of the 26 steel product categories currently covered by EU safeguard measures, we have worked with industry to identify 19 product categories that are relevant to Britain. Some include aluminised products are amongst these categories.
The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) is currently conducting a transition review to consider whether it is appropriate to vary Britain’s safeguard measures, extend them or revoke them. Interested parties can provide evidence to factor into TRID’s assessment.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much aluminised steel was produced in the UK in each of the last five years for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The data requested is not available from official statistics.
We have been working with companies across the steel sector to ensure that they can access the unprecedented package of support measures that the Government has made available during this challenging time.
The Government has also helped steel companies to reduce their costs through resource and energy efficiency, including through a package of compensation and exemptions from electricity costs, and has provided more than £560 million in support to the UK steel industry since 2013.
In?addition, we have established an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF),?backed by up to?£315 million?of investment. The IETF will help businesses with high energy use, including steel companies, to cut their bills and transition the UK’s industry to a low carbon future.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate of transmission is of covid-19 in hospitality settings.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Government is committed to publishing data that has informed its decision making, including the tier allocations. The Department publishes a weekly watchlist giving epidemiological COVID-19 data for each lower tier local authority in England. This is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-cases-by-local-authority-epidemiological-data
Detailed data on hospital activity is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
Our public dashboard on the progress of the virus across a range of metrics is updated every day at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk
The Contain framework sets out how national and local partners work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks, this includes through allocation of areas to the appropriate tier which is available at the following link:
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, which is available at the following link:
This provides further information and context beyond the headline metrics as to why areas are in particular tiers currently. We have also published supporting documents, to accompany the most recent regulations laid before Parliament. These are available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374/contents/made
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scientific basis is for closing hospitality venues in areas with Tier 3 restrictions for covid-19.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Government is committed to publishing data that has informed its decision making, including the tier allocations. The Department publishes a weekly watchlist giving epidemiological COVID-19 data for each lower tier local authority in England. This is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-cases-by-local-authority-epidemiological-data
Detailed data on hospital activity is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
Our public dashboard on the progress of the virus across a range of metrics is updated every day at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk
The Contain framework sets out how national and local partners work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks, this includes through allocation of areas to the appropriate tier which is available at the following link:
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, which is available at the following link:
This provides further information and context beyond the headline metrics as to why areas are in particular tiers currently. We have also published supporting documents, to accompany the most recent regulations laid before Parliament. These are available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374/contents/made
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will increase the financial support available for the hospitality sector in tier 3 covid-19 restriction areas.
Answered by Paul Scully
We are providing hospitality businesses in Tier 3 areas with a wide package of support to help them through the current crisis. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, government-backed loans, Local Restrictions Support Grants and additional funding provided to Local Authorities to support businesses.
We have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until March 2021, where small and large employers will be eligible to apply for a Government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month.
Businesses can continue to access our loan schemes, now extended, defer VAT payments previously due in March, and benefit from business rates holidays, a moratorium on eviction for commercial tenants and the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme. We have also made available grants of up to £3,000 for businesses required to close in the current period of national restrictions, and businesses required to remain closed in Tier 2 or Tier 3 will receive the same level of support.
Grants are also available from the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) scheme, which is a discretionary fund to support businesses which are not legally closed but severely impacted Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions, with funding of up to £2,100 per 28 days.
On 1 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced an additional £1,000 Christmas grant for ‘wet-led pubs’ in tiers 2 and 3.