Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 120941 on 17 January 2023 on Safe Hands Plans: Finance, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Financial Conduct Authority's response to concerns raised by his Department regarding Safe Hands Funeral Plans; and whether he will publish his Department correspondence with the Financial Conduct Authority on that issue.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Safe Hands Plans went into administration in March 2022. The government understands that this situation is very concerning for customers of Safe Hands.
Since being made aware of misconduct across the funeral plan sector in 2017, the government and Financial Conduct Authority have dedicated significant resource to regulate the sector fully. This has ensured that those trying to make financial arrangements for their funerals now have the right regulatory protections.
The government’s work to bring pre-paid funeral plans into regulation has ensured that – for the first time – 1.6 million funeral plan consumers are protected from poor practice within the sector. Because of the action taken, it is now a criminal offence to sell pre-paid funeral plans without FCA authorisation.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 120941 on Safe Hands Plans: Finance, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to Safe Hands’ customers at the time that those concerns were raised.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Safe Hands Plans went into administration in March 2022. The government understands that this situation is very concerning for customers of Safe Hands.
Since being made aware of misconduct across the funeral plan sector in 2017, the government and Financial Conduct Authority have dedicated significant resource to regulate the sector fully. This has ensured that those trying to make financial arrangements for their funerals now have the right regulatory protections.
The government’s work to bring pre-paid funeral plans into regulation has ensured that – for the first time – 1.6 million funeral plan consumers are protected from poor practice within the sector. Because of the action taken, it is now a criminal offence to sell pre-paid funeral plans without FCA authorisation.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 120941 on Safe Hands Plans: Finance, what estimate his Department has had made of the number of consumers who were at risk from Safe Hands Funeral Plans in July 2017.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Safe Hands Plans went into administration in March 2022. The government understands that this situation is very concerning for customers of Safe Hands.
Since being made aware of misconduct across the funeral plan sector in 2017, the government and Financial Conduct Authority have dedicated significant resource to regulate the sector fully. This has ensured that those trying to make financial arrangements for their funerals now have the right regulatory protections.
The government’s work to bring pre-paid funeral plans into regulation has ensured that – for the first time – 1.6 million funeral plan consumers are protected from poor practice within the sector. Because of the action taken, it is now a criminal offence to sell pre-paid funeral plans without FCA authorisation.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he held discussions with lobbyists for Sante Global LLP between April and September 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
There were no discussions held.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Treasury were first made aware of the financial risk posed by Safe Hands Plans funeral scheme.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
During a wide-ranging meeting with industry in July 2017 to discuss pre-paid funeral plans, some concerns about Safe Hands Plans were raised with HM Treasury.
In response, officials advised that such concerns should more properly be reported to the Financial Conduct Authority, reflecting the fact that HM Treasury has no investigatory or enforcement powers of its own.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer 15 November 2022 to Question 83599 on NHS: Protective Clothing, when he plans to publish details of legal fees for disputed contracts.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department continues to undertake due process on disputed contracts. While it would potentially be prejudicial to the legal process to provide the information requested, the Department expects to publish a summary of the total legal fees when the contract resolution process is concluded.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the economic impact of the rollout of standalone 5G (a) in Blaenau Gwent constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In 2017, the government set an ambition for the majority of the UK population to have access to 5G by 2027. This has been met five years early, with basic “non-standalone” 5G - which uses 5G equipment on 4G infrastructure.
We expect the Mobile Network Operators to begin deploying Standalone 5G in 2023. This next phase of investment will help unlock the full potential of 5G as a foundational technology for the knowledge-based economy, to support uses in industrial and innovation in the provision of public services, bringing both significant economic and societal benefits to the UK.
We are developing a Wireless Infrastructure Strategy which will establish a new ambition for 5G rollout, and set out how the UK can realise the full socioeconomic benefits of advanced wireless connectivity. We aim to publish the strategy early next year.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant of the Answer of 9 November 2022 to Question 69576 on NHS: Protective Clothing, what the employment arrangements are for people involved in resolving contractual disputes relating to personal protective equipment.
Answered by Will Quince
These staff are employed on temporary contracts.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer 9 November 2022 to Question 69577 on NHS: Protective Clothing, whether his Department has taken steps to include legal fees for disputed contracts in its budget; and when and in what format he plans to publish the forecast for these costs.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department plans to include legal fees for disputed contracts in its budget. Further information on these costs will be available in due course.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much unused PPE has been (a) donated, (b) sold, (c) recycled, and (d) incinerated from the start of the covid-19 outbreak to date.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is currently being collated and centrally validated.