Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Ms Nadine Dorries)

The Department is sponsoring the following current inquiries - The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review and the Linden Centre (North Essex Partnership Trust).

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by her Department.

Answer (Greg Hands)

The Department for International Trade came into existence in 2016 and since this time there have been no statutory and non-statutory public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Chris Heaton-Harris)

The Department will, as a matter of course, publish any inquiries it is required to do so as part of the terms of reference for that inquiry. For those where publication is not a requirement, Ministers will take a decision to publish on a case-by-case basis.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by her Department.

Answer (Mims Davies)

The requested information is not available. No information is held because there have been no inquiries that the Department has sponsored.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of financial education to children and young people in response to the impact of covid-19 outbreak.

Answer (Nick Gibb)

Financial education is taught within the national curriculum in mathematics and citizenship. At present, due to the unprecedented challenges for schools caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government understands that schools will need flexibility around the education they are providing to their pupils. We expect schools and teachers to use their professional judgement, knowledge of their pupils’ educational needs and home circumstances, to plan appropriate content that enables education to continue.

Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

Longer term, the Department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Alex Chalk)

The Ministry of Justice is not conducting any inquires at this time. All previous public inquiries carried out by the Ministry of Justice, whether statutory or non-statutory, have concluded and the reports have been published.

Question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Penny Mordaunt)

The Cabinet Office is responsible for two independent statutory public inquiries; the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Infected Blood Inquiry. The department has no non-statutory inquiries currently underway.

Question

To ask the Attorney General, if she will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by her Department.

Answer (Michael Ellis)

The Attorney General’s Office is not currently undertaking any statutory or non-statutory public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Victoria Prentis)

There are no statutory or non-statutory public inquiries currently being undertaken by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Kemi Badenoch)

There are currently no (a) statutory or (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken with HMT as the sponsor.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Luke Hall)

MHCLG is not sponsoring any statutory or non-statutory public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (David T C Davies)

The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not currently undertaking any public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Nadhim Zahawi)

The non-statutory Magnox Inquiry is currently underway, which is an independent inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and its subsequent termination.

Once convened, public inquiries are run independently of the Government. The Department supports and cooperates fully with all public inquiries as required.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by her Department.

Answer (Wendy Morton)

DFID are not currently sponsoring any public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle exploitative practices by out of hours vet care providers which operate monopolies of practice over large geographical areas.

Answer (Victoria Prentis)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the independent non-Ministerial department responsible for investigating competition issues in the UK. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that companies are behaving anti-competitively in a market. Individuals can report anti-competitive behaviour by emailing the CMA at general.enquiries@cma.gov.uk.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Mr Alister Jack)

The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland is not undertaking any (a) statutory or (b) non-statutory public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Mr Robin Walker)

The Department is not currently undertaking any statutory or non-statutory public inquiries.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.

Answer (Caroline Dinenage)

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has no statutory or non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken at present.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether Government bailouts during the covid-19 outbreak of foreign automotive and aerospace companies located in the UK will be conditional upon those companies increasing their supply chain spending to UK manufacturing companies.

Answer (Graham Stuart)

The Government has put in place unprecedented levels of support to help all businesses get through this crisis. Separate to this package of support, but to ensure the UK has resilient and diverse supply chains, the Department for International Trade is leading work across Government (Project Defend) to look at our trading relationships with a range of international partners. As part of this work, we have consulted widely with stakeholders across the advanced manufacturing sectors. We continue to champion free trade and the benefits that brings, across the economy, and to the automotive and aerospace sectors in the UK.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department will take to protect prison staff from covid-19 when prison visits are resumed.

Answer (Lucy Frazer)

Our National Framework, which sets out how we will take decisions about easing coronavirus-related restrictions in prisons, has been published on gov.uk.

Social distancing and hygiene are the most effective means to reduce transmission and we are providing access to the right cleaning and hygiene products in prisons. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is critical to protect staff and those in our care where close contact is necessary and unavoidable. Our current PPE supplies are good, and we are making preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we progress our plans. We are consulting with unions and stakeholders on our strategy to ensure staff are confident in our gradual easing of restrictions and to keep prisoners informed.

For visits specifically, we are developing safe working practices that adhere to public health guidance. This is challenging but as with the adaptations being made in society we will need to consider safe distancing, separation between those that should not have contact, temperature testing of visitors prior to entry and effective hygiene arrangements.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reopening the Maid Marion Line to passengers in Selston and the rural parts of Ashfield.

Answer (Chris Heaton-Harris)

I can confirm that the Department for Transport has received the expression of interest for the Maid Marian line for the Restoring Your Railway Ideas fund. Full applications now need to be submitted by the deadline of 19 June 2020. All bids will be assessed on their merit.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the quarantine criteria on people entering the UK will be dependant on the mortality and infection rates of the country from which they are travelling.

Answer (Kevin Foster)

From 8 June, all passengers arriving in the UK without having travelled through another part of the Common Travel Area are required to self-isolate for 14 days, apart from those on a short list of exemptions. This applies to arrivals from all countries outside of the Common Travel Area. These public health measure will be kept under review.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has bring forward legislative proposals to ban companies from profiteering during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answer (Paul Scully)

The Government remains committed to tackling consumer rip-offs and bad business practices, including profiteering.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has written to firms suspected of profiteering to challenge unjustifiable price increases. To date, the CMA has written to 264 firms, accounting for over 3,100 complaints, about price rises for essential products.

The Government continues to monitor the extent of profiteering and will update the law if it is proportionate to do so.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that tasers will be available to all Nottinghamshire Police Force officers who request one.

Answer (Kit Malthouse)

The use of TASER^® remains an operational matter for Chief Officers to decide the number of TASER^® and the number of TASER^® officers deployed based on their assessments of the threats and risks in their areas.

The Home Secretary will provide £6.7 million ringfenced funding to police forces in England and Wales to purchase 8,155 TASER^® devices. This could mean more than 8,000 more officers will be able to carry TASER^®.

A total of 41 forces submitted bids and all will receive the full amount of money they requested. This will help forces to better protect themselves and the public from harm.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect train conductors from abuse and harassment in their work environment.

Answer (Chris Heaton-Harris)

The question of workplace safety and wellbeing is a matter for rail employers to address with their staff. However, the Department works with the British Transport Police (BTP), including on joint initiatives such as the secure stations scheme, to tackle crime on the railways in Great Britain.

As part of its work to tackle violent crime, BTP also undertakes activity to address violence against staff specifically and holds a work place violence group with industry representative to identify and share best practice on a national basis. This includes supporting the use of Body-Worn Video (BWV) by front line staff and establishing consistent conflict awareness training for staff.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to promote apprenticeships as an alternative to university for school leavers from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds.

Answer (Gillian Keegan)

Degree apprenticeships offer people of all ages and from all backgrounds the chance to earn while they learn and access a range of professions. We are committed to continuing to raise the profile of higher and degree apprenticeships as a genuine, high-quality alternative to traditional academic study, and want to make sure we reach those from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds who might not otherwise have considered higher education as an option.

In addition to our awareness-raising work through the Fire it Up marketing campaign, National Apprenticeship Week, and in conjunction with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), we have introduced a range of targeted programmes to widen participation in apprenticeships, with a particular focus on higher and degree apprenticeships.

Our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme continues to work in schools and colleges in disadvantaged areas, providing free resources to support teachers to inform and inspire young people and introduce them to the range of apprenticeship opportunities available. Within the ASK programme, a Priority Schools pilot project supports 40 schools across England to provide disadvantaged students with information on apprenticeships.

‘Opportunities through Apprenticeships’, a pilot project launched in November 2018, seeks to encourage apprenticeship starts in sectors that offer higher wage-earning potential and progression opportunities. Four local authorities involved in this pilot – Portsmouth, Nottingham, South Tyneside, and Torbay – are leading local projects to identify skills gaps, encourage new training provision, and promote apprenticeships to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to fears of violence against police officers, what steps she is taking to support the mental wellbeing of police officers.

Answer (Kit Malthouse)

We have accelerated work to establish a Police Covenant, recognising the bravery and commitment of our police who work night and day to keep us safe. One of the key areas of focus will be the health and wellbeing of our police, along with physical protection and support for families.

The wellbeing of our police is a key priority for this Government and we have invested in programmes which offer help directly to officers. This included £7.5 million to fund the development of the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), which was launched in April 2019. The NPWS has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. There is an emphasis on prevention, for example by helping forces to identify mental health issues early through pyschological screening, helping officers to access support earlier. This helps Chief Constables in their duty to ensure the wellbeing of all officers and staff, which includes supporting officers with specific welfare needs by signposting to relevant services and additional support.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve bus services in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) the UK.

Answer (Kelly Tolhurst)

The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.

The Government provided £1,002,539 for Nottinghamshire County Council during 2018/19 to support vulnerable services.

In addition, we have announced a further £30 million for less commercial services. Nottinghamshire County Council has been allocated £648,608 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met. This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users

On 11 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced there will be £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Ashfield.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to tackle social media platforms which promote harmful content relating to suicide and self-harm.

Answer (Caroline Dinenage)

The Online Harms White Paper set out government’s plans to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, enforced by an independent regulator. As part of our plans, companies will be required to take action to address harmful suicide and self-harm content that provides graphic details of suicide methods and self-harming, including encouragement of self-harm and suicide.

There are already arrangements between companies and charities to improve the identification and removal of content when it is reported, and services that signpost help and supportive content to users. The Samaritans has a strategic partnership with social media companies and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). The partnership works together to set guidance on moderating suicide and self-harm content, and supporting users to stay safe online.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce the number of behaviour management incidents in custody for young offenders.

Answer (Lucy Frazer)

The number of children in custody has declined by 70% over the past decade, leading to a concentrated cohort of children with particularly complex needs, most of whom are serving sentences for more serious or violent offences. The safety of all children and staff is paramount, so we have taken the following measures:

• Last year, the Youth Custody Service published, and began implementing, a new approach to behaviour management – “Building Bridges” – developed with the NHS.[1] This is based on the importance of leadership, trusting staff-child relationships and the benefits of reward, prevention and proactive techniques.

• We are funding all our frontline officers to undertake a youth justice qualification up to foundation degree level, which will enable them to better analyse need and risk, and deploy more effective interventions.
• We recruited more psychologists and healthcare workers to work with children to help them overcome the issues at the root of their poor behaviour. For those children with the most complex needs, we have created two specialist enhanced support units so they can receive the intensive support they need.
• We have commissioned a review of pain-inducing restraint techniques, which we expect to publish shortly, and set up a taskforce to review separation practice and policy.

We anticipate this range of new measures will lead to improved behaviour, fewer incidents and better outcomes for children.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bridges-a-positive-behaviour-framework-for-the-children-and-young-people-secure-estate