Paul Sweeney Portrait

Paul Sweeney

Labour (Co-op) - Former Member for Glasgow North East

First elected: 8th June 2017

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)



Division Voting information

Paul Sweeney has voted in 412 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

25 Jun 2018 - National Policy Statement: Airports - View Vote Context
Paul Sweeney 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
View All Paul Sweeney 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
Andrea Leadsom (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
(72 debate interactions)
Theresa May (Conservative)
(46 debate interactions)
John Bercow (Speaker)
(29 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Ministry of Defence
(97 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(93 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(61 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Paul Sweeney's debates

Glasgow North East 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

Safe Standing offers a much safer alternative to fans who wish to stand, rather than sit at football matches. After the highly successful introduction to rail seating at Celtic Park, as well as numerous Bundesliga clubs, many football fans feel that laws preventing standing areas should be relaxed.

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.

Every single person who works in public services needs and deserve a pay rise. It’s time for the pay cap to be scrapped, for the government to provide additional funding for public sector pay and for employers to put public sector workers pay up now.


Latest EDMs signed by Paul Sweeney

7th October 2019
Paul Sweeney signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 7th October 2019

20 YEARS OF PAT'S GUIDE TO THE WEST END

Tabled by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
That this House congratulates Pat Byrne, author and editor of the website Pat's Guide to the West End, on the site's 20th anniversary; notes that the website, which provides reviews, advice and information about cultural and social activities in the West End of Glasgow, first appeared online in 1999 as …
12 signatures
(Most recent: 7 Oct 2019)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 11
30th September 2019
Paul Sweeney signed this EDM on Tuesday 1st October 2019

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KNIGHTS OF ST COLUMBA

Tabled by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
That this House notes that 5 October 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Knights of St Columba, the largest Catholic fraternal service organisation in the UK; further notes that the inaugural meeting of the organisation took place in Central Hall, Bath Street, Glasgow, and that since …
13 signatures
(Most recent: 2 Oct 2019)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 9
Labour: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
View All Paul Sweeney's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Paul Sweeney, 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.


Paul Sweeney has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Paul Sweeney

Monday 14th January 2019

Paul Sweeney has not introduced any legislation before Parliament


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
5th Feb 2019
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to tackle (a) GPs not being allowed to run oestrogen tests if a patient is still registered as male on the NHS and (b) other barriers in relation to those test barriers.

Ministers and officials have regular dialogue with counterparts in DHSC, where concerns of the trans community are raised. We will continue to work with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure improved service for transgender patients and service users.

The Government Equalities Office has recently provided grants to the Royal College of General Practitioners and to the LGBT Foundation to pilot and evaluate ways to improve delivery of services to LGBT patients and service users, especially in general practice.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
5th Feb 2019
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she plans to take to improve transition healthcare for people with gender dysphoria.

The Government Equalities Office liaised closely with the Department of Health and Social in developing the commitments set out the LGBT Action Plan. These include the appointment of a National Adviser, who will focus on reducing the health inequalities that LGBT people receive when accessing the NHS.

We are aware demand for gender identity services is growing at a significant rate.

NHS England increased investment in these services in 2016/17, from £26million to £32million, and this figure of £32million has been the overall financial investment in these services each subsequent financial year in-cluding the current year of 2018/19.

Between July and October 2017 NHS England and NHS Scotland held separate but related public consultations on proposals for new service specifications that, if adopted, describe how specialised gender identity services for adults will be commissioned and delivered in the future.

Final versions of the service specifications will be used to inform a process of competitive procurement that will determine which organisations are best placed to provide specialist gender identity services. The process of procurement will be managed by NHS England, with the involvement of NHS Scotland.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
5th Feb 2019
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department plans to take with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that trans patients do not have to seek unaffordable private healthcare as a result of long waiting times in order to receive treatment and medication.

The Government Equalities Office liaised closely with the Department of Health and Social in developing the commitments set out the LGBT Action Plan. These include the appointment of a National Adviser, who will focus on reducing the health inequalities that LGBT people receive when accessing the NHS.

We are aware demand for gender identity services is growing at a significant rate.

NHS England increased investment in these services in 2016/17, from £26million to £32million, and this figure of £32million has been the overall financial investment in these services each subsequent financial year in-cluding the current year of 2018/19.

Between July and October 2017 NHS England and NHS Scotland held separate but related public consultations on proposals for new service specifications that, if adopted, describe how specialised gender identity services for adults will be commissioned and delivered in the future.

Final versions of the service specifications will be used to inform a process of competitive procurement that will determine which organisations are best placed to provide specialist gender identity services. The process of procurement will be managed by NHS England, with the involvement of NHS Scotland.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
13th Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the outcomes were of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women which took place in New York from 12 to 23 March 2018.

The priority theme for the 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. Working in collaboration with our EU partners, the UK Government helped to secure a strong outcome document, which included positive language on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the role of men in unpaid care, quality education and human rights.

In addition, the UK delegation, led by the Secretary of State for International Development, had a successful programme, including ‎chairing side events to share good practice, bilateral meetings and delivering the UK national statement.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
19th Nov 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his oral Answer of 14 November 2018, Official Report, column 298, on the Infected Blood Inquiry, whether his reference to compensation relates to acceptance of Government liability or ex-gratia payments.

During Cabinet Office Oral Questions on Wednesday 14 November, in response to questions about the Infected Blood Inquiry from Member for Manchester, Withington Jess Smith MP and the Member for Kingston upon Hull North Diana Johnson MP, I used the word “compensation” to refer to the financial payments made to victims of infected blood. In doing so, I misspoke. I should instead have used the words “financial support”. I am sorry for any confusion this may have caused in the House. I am happy to make that clarification, and the record has been corrected to reflect this.

12th Sep 2018
What steps the Government is taking to review the effectiveness of the civil service.

The Government is committed to continually strengthening the Civil Service. We use a range of internal and external work to inform our understanding of current effectiveness and to shape work to continue making improvements. Recent examples include the Barber Review, the PACAC Inquiry into Whitehall effectiveness, and the International Civil Service Effectiveness Index.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
10th Jan 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timescale is for the appointment of a chair to the inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal.

We have asked the Lord Chief Justice to nominate a judge to chair the inquiry, and I hope to announce the name of that judge soon. Once the Chair is appointed, we will be discussing with them the composition of the inquiry panel.

10th Jan 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for the establishment of the inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal.

We have asked the Lord Chief Justice to nominate a judge to chair the inquiry, and I hope to announce the name of that judge soon. Once the Chair is appointed, we will be discussing with them the composition of the inquiry panel.

12th Dec 2017
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by what process any inter-administration differences on negotiations for the UK leaving the EU were resolved in the seven months between February and October 2017.

The Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) is the formal mechanism for inter-administration discussion on negotiations for the UK leaving the EU. In the period between February and October 2017 when JMC(EN) did not meet, the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU held a series of bilateral meetings with the devolved administrations on a range of issues related to EU Exit.

12th Dec 2017
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which recommendations made by devolved administrations at the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU negotiations) will form part of the Government's policy on the UK leaving the EU.

The UK Government is committed to engagement with the devolved administrations throughout the EU Exit process. The main forum for this is the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations). This met in October and December and will meet again in the new year with work remitted to officials to take forward between meetings.

24th Oct 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many appeals her Department has received under the Green Deal Scheme in the last 12 months, and in which constituencies the appellants are based.

230 appeals have been received in the last 12 months. The following table shows the constituencies in which the appellants are based.

Parliamentary constituency

Number of appeals

England

Barrow and Furness

1

Batley and Spen

2

Berwick-upon-Tweed

1

Birmingham, Erdington

1

Birmingham, Hodge Hill

1

Birmingham, Ladywood

1

Birmingham, Perry Barr

1

Bishop Auckland

1

Blackley and Broughton

1

Blackpool South

2

Blaydon

2

Blyth Valley

1

Bolton North East

1

Bolton South East

1

Bradford East

1

Bristol East

1

Bury North

1

Bury South

1

Carlisle

1

City of Durham

2

Cleethorpes

1

Colne Valley

1

Copeland

1

Daventry

1

Ealing Central and Acton

1

Easington

1

Fylde

1

Gloucester

1

Grantham and Stamford

1

Great Grimsby

1

Halton

1

Hartlepool

2

Houghton and Sunderland South

2

Huddersfield

1

Huntingdon

1

Ipswich

1

Jarrow

1

Kingston upon Hull East

1

Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

1

Kingswood

1

Knowsley

1

Lancaster and Fleetwood

1

Leeds East

1

Leicester South

1

Leigh

1

Liverpool, Walton

1

Liverpool, Wavertree

2

Liverpool, West Derby

2

Manchester, Withington

1

Middlesbrough

2

Milton Keynes South

1

Newcastle upon Tyne Central

1

Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford

1

North Durham

1

North Somerset

1

North Swindon

1

North Tyneside

1

North West Cambridgeshire

1

North West Durham

1

Nottingham East

3

Nottingham North

1

Nottingham South

1

Pendle

1

Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport

1

Preston

1

Rossendale and Darwen

1

Rushcliffe

1

Sedgefield

1

Sheffield Central

1

Sheffield South East

1

Sherwood

1

Southport

1

Stalybridge and Hyde

1

Stockton South

2

Stockton North

1

Tewkesbury

1

Tynemouth

1

Walsall South

1

Washington and Sunderland West

3

Wentworth and Dearne

1

West Lancashire

1

West Suffolk

1

Winchester

1

Workington

3

Wales

Aberavon

1

Cardiff South and Penarth

1

Cynon Valley

1

Llanelli

1

Newport West

1

Rhondda

2

Swansea East

1

Scotland

Airdrie and Shotts

4

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

5

Central Ayrshire

5

Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

3

Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

4

East Dunbartonshire

1

East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow

5

East Lothian

1

East Renfrewshire

3

Edinburgh North and Leith

1

Edinburgh South

1

Edinburgh West

1

Falkirk

4

Glasgow East

1

Glasgow North

1

Glasgow North East

8

Glasgow North West

4

Glasgow South West

1

Glenrothes

1

Inverclyde

3

Kilmarnock and Loudoun

13

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

2

Lanark and Hamilton East

2

Linlithgow and East Falkirk

1

Livingston

1

Midlothian

1

Motherwell and Wishaw

3

North Ayrshire and Arran

2

Ochil and South Perthshire

1

Paisley and Renfrewshire North

11

Paisley and Renfrewshire South

4

Perth and North Perthshire

1

Rutherglen and Hamilton West

7

Stirling

3

West Dunbartonshire

5

Constituency not yet identified

8

24th Oct 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department has taken to compensate people who have been detrimentally affected by the Green Deal Scheme.

There is a specific process for handling complaints under the Green Deal. This starts with a complaint by the consumer to their Green Deal Provider. If not resolved satisfactorily, the consumer may then approach the Green Deal Ombudsman or the Financial Ombudsman Service, depending on the nature of the complaint. Their decisions will be binding on the Green Deal Provider. If after progressing through those channels the consumer is still not satisfied, they may request that their complaint be referred to the Secretary of State for consideration.

In respect of such referrals, the Secretary of State may reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan, if she is satisfied that there has been a breach of the law or code of practice.

The cancellation or reduction of a loan represents the full extent of the Secretary of State’s power to provide redress for consumers in relation to the Green Deal.

BEIS aims to ensure that cases are concluded as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring that fair redress is provided where appropriate and decisions take account of all available, relevant evidence.

BEIS currently has a number of outstanding appeal cases and we have taken steps to speed-up the handling process. We are making progress and this has resulted in the recent issuing of 4 final sanctions and 16 Intention Notices. We expect these numbers to increase significantly soon.

24th Oct 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what her Department's timescale is for processing appeals from people who claim to have been adversely affected by the Green Deal Scheme.

There is a specific process for handling complaints under the Green Deal. This starts with a complaint by the consumer to their Green Deal Provider. If not resolved satisfactorily, the consumer may then approach the Green Deal Ombudsman or the Financial Ombudsman Service, depending on the nature of the complaint. Their decisions will be binding on the Green Deal Provider. If after progressing through those channels the consumer is still not satisfied, they may request that their complaint be referred to the Secretary of State for consideration.

In respect of such referrals, the Secretary of State may reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan, if she is satisfied that there has been a breach of the law or code of practice.

The cancellation or reduction of a loan represents the full extent of the Secretary of State’s power to provide redress for consumers in relation to the Green Deal.

BEIS aims to ensure that cases are concluded as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring that fair redress is provided where appropriate and decisions take account of all available, relevant evidence.

BEIS currently has a number of outstanding appeal cases and we have taken steps to speed-up the handling process. We are making progress and this has resulted in the recent issuing of 4 final sanctions and 16 Intention Notices. We expect these numbers to increase significantly soon.

14th May 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria is used by National Grid ESO to determine acceptable levels of regional electricity system restoration capability.

The Electricity System Operator (NGESO), has a legal obligation to have a capability to restore the electricity system in the event of a total or partial failure.

In line with historic expectations, NGESO has sourced and procured capability to achieve the restoration of 60% of national demand within 24 hours. This level of demand equates to the level required to run a stable, interconnected Electricity Transmission System, from which remaining demand can be restored.

This approach requires a certain number of self-starting generators to be available in each region and prioritises the restoration of supplies to other generators to maintain a broadly consistent rate of restoration across all GB regions.

The restoration approach is reviewed at least once every two years, to ensure that GB’s restoration capability keeps pace with all relevant technologies and the changes to the electricity system.

14th May 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how essential electricity system restoration capability will be provided in a zero-carbon electricity system.

The electricity System Operator (National Grid ESO) has a legal license obligation to ensure that it has a restoration capability.

In order to ensure that this capability evolves to provide a safe and effective restoration as the electricity system continues to decarbonise and decentralise, NGESO is undertaking a project to develop and demonstrate new approaches to restore the electricity system from Distributed Energy Resources to increase competition in the market and deliver cost and carbon emission reductions.

BEIS will continue to monitor GB’s changing restoration capability alongside National Grid and Ofgem to ensure it remains robust and effective.

10th Apr 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will reopen the Office for Product Safety and Standards review into Whirlpool tumble dryer safety issues.

The role of the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is to hold businesses to account for their responsibility for consumer safety. OPSS will continue to scrutinise Whirlpool’s compliance with all of its obligations in regard to the affected tumble dryers.

The Government published the findings of the review on 4th April and OPSS issued a Decision Letter setting out further actions for Whirlpool to take. We do not plan to reopen this review which formed part of OPSS ongoing work to hold Whirlpool to account.

26th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to bring forward legislative proposals on an energy price cap by next winter.

The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill was introduced on 23 February 2018 and is currently progressing through the House. Information about the Bill is available at https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8242

Ofgem have published an initial working paper on the design of the cap with the aim of implementing it by end of year. The working paper is available at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/default-tariff-cap-working-paper-setting-level-cap

27th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes in Glasgow North East constituency have had works carried out under the Green Deal scheme.

Since the start of the Green Deal in 2013 in Glasgow North East constituency 167 properties have had works carried out under the Green Deal scheme.

19th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans further to develop the National Shipbuilding Strategy to include commercial as well as naval shipbuilding opportunities in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

The shipbuilding industry is leading the Maritime Enterprise Working Group with support of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Ministry of Defence to develop an in-depth understanding of the opportunity for the wider UK supply chain in the domestic and international markets in both commercial and naval.

15th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the regulatory framework is which is used to accredit Green Deal Assessors; and if he will make a statement.

Green Deal Assessors are accredited by Green Deal Certification Bodies, who in turn are authorised to act as Green Deal Certification Bodies by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 provide the regulatory framework for this activity.

15th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies accredited under the Green Deal were subsequently investigated for breaches of the Green Deal Code of Practice.

Since the Green Deal was introduced, two companies have been investigated for breaches of the Green Deal Code of Practice. One of the investigations led to a sanction against the company Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd. The other investigation did not lead to a sanction.

5th Dec 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the rationale for the criteria used to accredit Green Energy Providers for the Green Deal.

The Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 set out the criteria that are followed in authorising a Green Deal Provider. In particular, a Green Deal Provider must comply with the provisions of the Green Deal Code of Practice which apply to them, and in certain circumstances hold an appropriate consumer credit licence. These criteria are assessed prior to authorisation to determine whether an applicant is a fit person to act as a Green Deal Provider. They seek to ensure that Green Deal Providers operate to a high standard for the benefit of all scheme stakeholders, and that consumers entering Green Deal plans are appropriately protected.

The Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body (GD ORB) undertakes these assessments and submits a recommendation to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for a decision to be made. Guidance on the application process is available from the GD ORB website:

http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/admin/documents/Green%20Deal%20Provider%20Guidance.pdf

26th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people over 75 who cannot afford to pay for a TV licence will be able to access democracy and keep informed of current affairs from June 2020.

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government and the BBC agreed that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020.

However, the Government is disappointed with the BBC’s decision as it has been clear that it wants and expects the BBC to continue this concession. Since the BBC took its decision, I have met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and I have asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision.

26th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people over 75 who do not use the internet are not digitally excluded and will receive the necessary support to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government and the BBC agreed that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020.

However, the Government is disappointed with the BBC’s decision as it has been clear that it wants and expects the BBC to continue this concession. Since the BBC took its decision, I have met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and I have asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision.

26th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people over 75 whose level of income is above the threshold of eligibility for pension credit are able to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government and the BBC agreed that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020.

However, the Government is disappointed with the BBC’s decision as it has been clear that it wants and expects the BBC to continue this concession. Since the BBC took its decision, I have met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and I have asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision.

25th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department plans to take to help people over 75 with a long-term complex illness such as dementia to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020.

The BBC says that it will work with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing, will make it as easy as possible for carers and family members to act as representatives for pensioners seeking to claim a free TV licence, including those caring for elderly people with complex illnesses like dementia.

25th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department plans to provide to carers who work with people over 75 to help those people pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020.

The BBC says that it will work with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing, will make it as easy as possible for carers and family members to act as representatives for pensioners seeking to claim a free TV licence, including those caring for elderly people with complex illnesses like dementia.

25th Jun 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of free TV licences for people aged over 75 on people with sight impairments.

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. However, the Government has no intention to change the blind (severely sight impaired) licence fee concession, regardless of the age of the recipient.

Guidance on the blind (severely sight impaired) licence fee concession can be found on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5

29th Apr 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK data security is protected in respect of the involvement of Huawei in the development of the UK's 5G network.

The Government has a long established strategy for managing the presence of Huawei in the UK telecoms sector. The Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) was established in 2010 as part of a mitigation strategy.

The need to ensure that the UK telecoms network is secure both now and for future mobile generations is the reason for the Telecoms Supply Chain Review. The terms of reference are available here. The Review includes consideration of the full UK market position, including the resilience and security standards of equipment for 5G. A statement will be made to the House to communicate the outcome of the Review at the appropriate time.

9th Apr 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what resources his Department provide to (a) voluntary and (b) statutory support services to help prevent technology-facilitated abuse.

The Government published the Online Harms White Paper on the 8 April. This sets out the Government’s plans for world leading laws to make the UK one of the safest places in the world to be online. These will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially children and other vulnerable groups.

9th Apr 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government had plans to include reference to smart, internet-connected devices in the definition of online harms.

The Online Harms White Paper consultation proposes that the duty of care applies to companies that provide services or tools that allow, enable or facilitate users to share or discover user-generated content, or interact with each other online. It, therefore, would not typically apply to consumer smart devices. Harms suffered by individuals that result directly from a breach of data protection, breach of cyber-security or hacking are also excluded from scope.

However, the Government has taken a number of actions to increase the security of consumer smart devices. In October 2018, DCMS published the Code of Practice for Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) Security to support manufacturers in building strong security into smart products by design. We recognise that further action is needed, and we will soon be publishing a consultation on our regulatory proposals regarding consumer IoT security.

1st Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has undertaken an impact assessment of his Department's decision to delay the implementation of a maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals from April 2019 to October 2019.

The Chancellor announced at Budget that the new stake limits for sub-category B2 gaming machines will come into effect when Remote Gaming Duty is increased in October 2019. There is no delay as no date had previously been set. Government considered a range of factors in determining the implementation date of the stake reduction to B2 machines, including harm from problem gambling, impact on the high street and the economic wellbeing of those who work in betting shops. It remains completely committed to taking action to protect the most vulnerable in society from the harm that these gaming machines can cause and we have been clear we expect this to be a priority for the gambling industry.
19th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing direct UK Government funding to support museums and art galleries in the city of Glasgow.

Cultural policy has been devolved to the nations of the United Kingdom since 1999. Funding for museums and galleries in Glasgow is therefore the responsibility of the local authority, the Scottish Government, and its agencies, who are best placed to determine how to support the city’s cultural assets.

22nd Jun 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the review of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals which closed in December 2016.

A review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures was launched in October 2016, which included a look at the issue of B2 gaming machines (more commonly known as fixed odds betting terminals). Responses to the review's call for evidence are being considered and a response will be published in due course.

22nd Jun 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the provision of free television licences for over-75s.

Households occupied by at least one person over 75 are exempt from paying the TV licence fee, which currently cost £147.00 a year.

13th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end the use of food labels which are likely to mislead consumers; and whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory labelling on the farming method used for (a) meat, (b) milk and (c) dairy products.

Under the Food Information to Consumers Regulations (EU 1169/2011) it is a requirement that food information shall not be misleading, as to its country of origin or place of provenance, method of manufacture or production or by attributing to the food effects or properties which it does not possess.

It is a key priority as the UK prepares to leave the EU to ensure there remains a robust and effective regulatory regime for maintaining the safety of food for the benefit of UK consumers and of the UK food industry. The Secretary of State has set out our ambition to develop a recognised gold standard system for food and farming quality, to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of quality and transparency for consumers and take opportunities to market British food across the world.

21st Jan 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterpart on extending Article 50.

As the Prime Minister said in her statement to the House on Monday 21st January, the Government is opposed to extending Article 50 and we are committed to leaving the EU on 29 March 2019. In any case, the EU are very unlikely simply to agree to extend Article 50 without a plan for how we are going to approve a deal.

21st Jan 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on contingency planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The Government continues to plan for all eventualities. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State remain in regular contact and, along with the rest of Cabinet, agreed to progress with the next phase of our no deal plans. The Chancellor remains committed, allocating £1.5billion for EU Exit preparations in all scenarios in 2018/19 and 2019/20; this was subsequently increased by £0.5bn for 2019/20 in the 2018 Budget, meaning the government will have invested over £4 billion in preparing for EU exit since 2016.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
21st Jan 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK negotiating a permanent UK-EU customs union.

We will not enter a Customs Union because it would not respect the result of the referendum and would not allow for an independent trade policy. The partnership we are seeking with the EU will include an ambitious customs arrangement between the UK and EU, and the trading relationship on goods will be as ambitious as possible. There will be no tariffs, fees, charges, or quotas.

Both the EU and UK have been clear that our future partnership will respect the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond the economic partnership with the EU.

This would not be possible in the customs union.

21st Jan 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Government of Zimbabwe distributes UK bilateral aid fairly through civic and representative community organisations.

The UK Government does not channel any UK bilateral aid through the Government of Zimbabwe. The UK, through the Department for International Development in Zimbabwe, provides extensive financial and technical assistance to a wide range of civil society organisations in Zimbabwe. We do not publicise our partners to avoid putting them at risk. Our funding supports Zimbabwean citizens to hold the state to account in its respect for human rights and democratic principles.

13th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to consult the devolved governments on measurement of their progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5 for the Voluntary National Review in 2019; and if she will make a statement.

Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing, and we will consult with a wide range of key stakeholders as we finalise our plans.

We will launch an online consultation to ensure we capture a wide range of views and inputs, and will be drawing on a range of sources to collect data and information, including:

  • the UN’s global indicator framework for measuring global progress towards the SDGs;
  • the UK’s Office for National Statistics’ National Reporting Platform on UK data for the SDGs;
  • Single Departmental Plans in which government departments have embedded the SDGs; and
  • departmental Annual Reports and Accounts in which departments are expected to report progress towards the SDGs.
13th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what consultation the Government plans to hold with local authorities to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, for the Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2019.

Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing, and we will consult with a wide range of key stakeholders as we finalise our plans.

We will launch an online consultation to ensure we capture a wide range of views and inputs, and will be drawing on a range of sources to collect data and information, including:

  • the UN’s global indicator framework for measuring global progress towards the SDGs;
  • the UK’s Office for National Statistics’ National Reporting Platform on UK data for the SDGs;
  • Single Departmental Plans in which government departments have embedded the SDGs; and
  • departmental Annual Reports and Accounts in which departments are expected to report progress towards the SDGs.
13th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what consultation the Government plans to hold with the private sector to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, for the Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2019.

Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing, and we will consult with a wide range of key stakeholders as we finalise our plans.

We will launch an online consultation to ensure we capture a wide range of views and inputs, and will be drawing on a range of sources to collect data and information, including:

  • the UN’s global indicator framework for measuring global progress towards the SDGs;
  • the UK’s Office for National Statistics’ National Reporting Platform on UK data for the SDGs;
  • Single Departmental Plans in which government departments have embedded the SDGs; and
  • departmental Annual Reports and Accounts in which departments are expected to report progress towards the SDGs.
12th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what form of consultation the Government plans to conduct with civic society to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5 for the Voluntary National Review in 2019.

Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing and we are consulting with a range of key stakeholders to finalise these plans. The Government will ensure that a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society organisations, have an opportunity to contribute to the review, and intend to launch an online consultation to capture as many views and suggestions as possible.

12th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mechanisms the Government plans to use to analyse progress on implementing Sustainable Development Goal 5 for the Voluntary National Review in 2019.

Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing. We will be drawing on a range of sources, including:

  • the UN’s global indicator framework for measuring global progress towards the SDGs;

  • the UK’s Office for National Statistics’ National Reporting Platform on UK data for the SDGs;

  • Single Departmental Plans in which government departments have embedded the SDGs; and

  • departmental Annual Reports and Accounts in which departments are expected to report progress towards the SDGs.

We will continue to consult with a range of key stakeholders as we finalise our plans, including launching an online consultation to ensure we capture a wide range of views and inputs.

11th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has had any discussions with her EU counterparts on her proposal to introduce payments by results to funding of UN agencies.

From 2018 onwards, we will use the payment by results approach with the UN to strengthen accountability to deliver results in some key areas of UN reform and performance. My officials have undertaken a range of outreach opportunities to discuss the ‘payment by results’ component of the voluntary core funding that DFID contributes to the UN’s humanitarian and development agencies. This has included a number of meetings at Permanent Secretary level with interested donors, formal presentations to EU counterparts at Director General level and a number of informal meetings at a technical level.