Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will assist with obtaining a response to a letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire to the Director General for UKVI of 17 May 2022, reference ZA59732 in relation to a passport application.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
PQ 86652
MPAM reference – MPAM/0434291/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 15 November 2022.
PQ 86686
MPAM reference – MPAM/0297828/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 15 November 2022.
PQ 86651
MPAM reference – MPAM/0311479/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 15 November 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve continence services through the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Project’s objectives are to improve continence care and to further research and implement recommendations from ‘Excellence in Continence Care’, published in 2018. The Project will meet in December to evaluate progress on bladder and bowel pathways and to consider next steps.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring the provision of sanitary bins in male toilets in statute.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Improving the accessibility and use of buildings is already a part of the Government’s agenda on the built environment. A process has been underway since 2020 to update the building regulations and associated guidance contained in Approved Document M. Simultaneously, a call for evidence on toilet provision was undertaken earlier this year and Written Ministerial Statement HCWS172 followed from it.
The Government is committed to undertaking further technical consultations on both of these workstreams in due course. Upon conclusion of those consultations, responses will be considered, and policy announcements will then be made in the appropriate way.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory obligation to provide sanitary bins in (a) existing and (b) newly built men's public toilets.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Improving the accessibility and use of buildings is already a part of the Government’s agenda on the built environment. A process has been underway since 2020 to update the building regulations and associated guidance contained in Approved Document M. Simultaneously, a call for evidence on toilet provision was undertaken earlier this year and Written Ministerial Statement HCWS172 followed from it.
The Government is committed to undertaking further technical consultations on both of these workstreams in due course. Upon conclusion of those consultations, responses will be considered, and policy announcements will then be made in the appropriate way.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to progress (a) research on the needs of all people using toilets and (b) wider research on Part M of the Building Regulations on access to and use of buildings.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Improving the accessibility and use of buildings is already a part of the Government’s agenda on the built environment. A process has been underway since 2020 to update the building regulations and associated guidance contained in Approved Document M. Simultaneously, a call for evidence on toilet provision was undertaken earlier this year and Written Ministerial Statement HCWS172 followed from it.
The Government is committed to undertaking further technical consultations on both of these workstreams in due course. Upon conclusion of those consultations, responses will be considered, and policy announcements will then be made in the appropriate way.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether there has been an increase of the number of disposal bins in (a) men's toilets and (b) accessible toilets across the Palace of Westminster since October 2019.
Answered by Charles Walker
There have been no additional bins placed in men’s toilets. However, since May 2021 there has been an increase of 64 nappy bins in accessible toilets across the Estate (Lords/Commons).
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are plans to amend the guidance on the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare, Approved Code of Practice to accommodate the provision of suitable bins for men to dispose of sanitary products.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of issues relating to workplace health and safety, including work space, lighting, temperature, ventilation, traffic routes, windows, seating, toilets and rest facilities. These regulations already require that facilities are suitable for any person. All workers have a right to a safe working environment and employers should discuss working arrangements with their workers.
The heatwaves this summer prompted a number of Parliamentarians to raise concerns about maximum workplace temperature. As a result, the Health and Safety Executive is revising the scope of the review to consider this issue therefore progress on the review of the guidance has been delayed.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement in the House of Commons on 8 September 2022, how local support for developers seeking planning permission for natural gas fracturation will be measured.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government expects industry to work closely with communities in order to gather the local support needed, as well as to determine what kind of community benefits will be put in place.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what data was used to inform the policy announced by the Prime Minister on 8 September 2022, to end the Government's moratorium on fracking.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the British Geological Survey’s report makes clear, predicting seismic events induced by hydraulic fracturing remains a scientific challenge for the geoscience community. It also makes clear that to improve our understanding we need more exploratory sites to gather the necessary data.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the letter of 24 June 2022 from the hon. member for West Lancashire on staffing levels in clinical radiology and clinical oncology, reference ZA60022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We replied to the hon. Member on 19 August 2022.