Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases have been handled by the MP Account Manager team in the last 6 months; and what proportion of these cases received a substantial response within 20 working days.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Department works to a target of responding to 95% of Hon. Members written correspondence within 20 working days.
Performance has been impacted by a very significant increase in the volume of correspondence received, including the unprecedented amount of correspondence about the situation in Afghanistan and more recently in Ukraine. Ministers and officials also had to instigate a remote process for drafting and signing correspondence during the period of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Department recognises it has not been able to meet service standard in some cases, but has implemented an action plan to clear backlogs and drive up performance.
Data about intake and performance in answering Hon. Members correspondence are published quarterly with the latest Quarter available at: Customer service operations data: Q4 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and this includes data up to and including the end of quarter 4 - 2021.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for an answer on the UKVI MP Account Manager Team hotline.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis there has been a significant increase in calls to the MP Enquiry Line leading to lengthy wait times for which we apologise.
Normal staffing levels for the MPs Enquiry Line is a maximum of 6 agents available at peak times and this was increased to 16 on Monday 4th April.
We are now seeing a reduction in waiting times and we anticipate call wait times volumes will drop significantly from next week.
To ease pressure on the lines during this period we have requested MPs Offices only use the line for Ukraine queries or non-Ukraine compassionate/urgent cases.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are assigned to the UKVI MP Account Manager Team hotline.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis there has been a significant increase in calls to the MP Enquiry Line leading to lengthy wait times for which we apologise.
Normal staffing levels for the MPs Enquiry Line is a maximum of 6 agents available at peak times and this was increased to 16 on Monday 4th April.
We are now seeing a reduction in waiting times and we anticipate call wait times volumes will drop significantly from next week.
To ease pressure on the lines during this period we have requested MPs Offices only use the line for Ukraine queries or non-Ukraine compassionate/urgent cases.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate extra funding to constabularies to deliver in-depth, face to face and role specific disclosure and rebuttable presumption material training for all officers and staff involved in the submission of files to the CPS.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Training standards and the national policing curriculum are set by the College of Policing. However, forces provide local training and development at several different levels ranging from initial entry, leadership and ongoing development.
Following the revised Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure coming into force at the end of 2020, the College have updated their core curriculum and a suite of learning products, including videos, was developed by the College and National Police Chiefs’ Council to explain the changes to the guidance.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who owns the freehold for the Benton Park View site in Newcastle upon Tyne that is used by HMRC.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Newcastle Estates Partnership, part of the Semperian Group, own the freehold for the Benton Park View site in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what studies have been carried out on the environmental impact of (a) zinc and (b) lead contaminants between Walker Quay and the upper reaches of the River Tyne.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Metals from abandoned mines impact water quality and aquatic wildlife in more than 150 kilometres of the South Tyne catchment, and these metals ultimately accumulate in the Tyne estuary sediments.
The Environment Agency (EA) has investigated the environmental impacts of zinc and lead from historic mine activity in the upper reaches of the River Tyne, particularly in the Rivers Nent and West Allen, which are two of the most metal-polluted rivers in England.
EA surveys in 2017 and 2018 showed populations of brown trout in the River Nent were about half that of a similar, unpolluted, control catchment. EA studies of river-flies (invertebrates) in the Nent and West Allen catchments also found decreased abundance and variety. The concentrations of zinc in the River Nent are high enough to be acutely toxic to fish but the brown trout appear to have adapted after two centuries of exposure.
The EA is working in partnership with the Coal Authority and Defra to implement measures to control inputs of metals in the Tyne headwaters as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme. In 2022/23, construction of the Nent Haggs mine water treatment scheme will be completed; once fully operational in 2023, this should capture up to 3 tonnes of zinc and cadmium each year and improve water quality in 60km of rivers. Other measures are being developed to stop metals polluting the River South Tyne and decrease the amount of metals that accumulate in Tyne estuary sediments.
We are currently consulting on a target to reduce the length of rivers pollution by metals from Abandoned Metal Mines by 50% by 2037 in the Environment Act Targets consultation. This will include zinc and lead pollution.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to take steps to increase school budgets in response to rising energy costs.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department recognises that schools will be facing cost pressures in the coming months, particularly due to the increase in energy prices. We are looking carefully at how this will impact schools and are considering what additional support we could offer.
Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. The government is delivering a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new schools supplementary grant for the 2022/23 financial year. Overall, this represents a 7% cash terms per pupil boost, which will help schools meet the pressures we know they are facing, particularly around energy costs. The department pays close attention to financial health of the sector, and we are closely assessing where energy costs may more significantly impact schools’ financial health.
All schools can access a range of school resource management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources, to help them save on regular purchases and reduce non-teaching costs. Our SRM tools include recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy. The department will also update and strengthen guidance on a regular basis to inform schools of the market and commercial position, with practical advice on exiting existing and entering new contracts, available here: https://www.get-help-buying-for-schools.service.gov.uk/procurement-support. The Get Help Buying for Schools service will also be able to offer support to schools in switching and entering new contracts.
The department recognises that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce an independent mechanism for police pay.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is an independent body that considers and make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers. The Home Secretary’s remit letter asks the PRRB for recommendations on how to apply the pay award for 2022/23.
The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform its decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from the Government, police employers and police staff associations. The PRRB weigh the evidence, consider independent research, and formulate detailed recommendations.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what scientific evidence there is on the impact of zinc and lead sediment in the form found in the River Tyne on marine life.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Zinc and lead are known to induce adverse effects on marine life. River Tyne sediments exhibit higher levels of these metals compared with other parts of the UK, due to the historical industrial and mining activities associated with the river. There is currently insufficient evidence as to whether concentrations of zinc and lead in the form found in River Tyne sediments are having an impact on marine life.
However, in recognition of wider evidence of the impacts of mining pollution more generally, we are currently consulting on a target to reduce the length of rivers pollution by metals from abandoned metal mines by 50% by 2037 in the Environment Act Targets consultation. This will include lead and zinc metal pollution.
This will drive action across the country and builds on work by the Environment Agency, in partnership with the Coal Authority and Defra, to implement measures to control inputs of metals in the Tyne headwaters as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Port of Tyne’s response to Proposed Changes in CEFAS Action Levels for Sea Disposal of Dredged Sediment.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are currently considering the feedback and information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to the Proposed Changes in Cefas Action Levels for Sea Disposal of Dredged Sediment. Officials will continue to engage with the Port of Tyne and other local stakeholders to review and understand all evidence, to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region.