Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to NHS bodies in East Antrim constituency on the use of out-of-date cancer treatment machinery.
Answered by Will Quince
Health policy is largely devolved, and the Government therefore has not issued guidance to National Health Service bodies in Northern Ireland on the use of out-of-date cancer treatment machinery. However, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is keen to work together with the Devolved Governments to improve health and care policy, including cancer policy, across the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people with their energy costs.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is continually reviewing the financial support it provides for the differing energy needs within its communities and prioritising support for the most vulnerable.
The Help for Households campaign includes numerous cost-of-living support schemes in 2023/2024, such as the Winter Fuel Payment, Warm Home Discount, Disability Cost of Living Payment and the Cost-of-Living Payment for those on means tested benefits which has increased from £650 in 2022/2023 up to £900 in 2023/2024. From 1 October, the Ofgem energy price cap will be £1,923 for a typical household energy bill per year. A typical household will see their annual energy bills come down by around £580 since their peak.
As the Government explores possible approaches to consumer protection from 2024, it is working with disability organisations, considering the costs for disabled people and assessing the need for specific support for disabled people using medical equipment in the home.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to support disabled people with the cost of living.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government understands the pressures people, including disabled people, are facing with the cost of living. Disabled people may be entitled to an extra costs benefit such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is a contribution towards the extra costs associated with being disabled. PIP is paid tax free and can be worth up to £8,983 a year. Recipients are free to choose how they spend their PIP and there is no requirement for them to use it for any particular purpose. Entitlement to PIP depends on the effects that a disability or health condition has on a disabled person’s life and not on a particular disability or diagnosis.
PIP can passport to a range of additional support including:
PIP also exempts the eligible household from the Benefit Cap.
In April, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels also increased by the same amount.
In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments across the 2023/24 financial year, with the first payment of £300 having already been made. A separate £150 payment was made to individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits, including PIP, from 20 June. In addition, more than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive a £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24.
The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows local authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The devolved administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to include a commitment to create a requirement for all businesses to admit guide dogs in the Disability Action Plan.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Guide dog access is protected as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. All businesses should be mindful of their duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people are able to access goods and services.
The Disability Action Plan consultation has specific questions on guide dog access refusals. People who are reliant on guide dogs to access goods and services are encouraged to make their views known via the fully accessible consultation which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/disability-action-plan-2023-to-2024.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trader support service declarations on access between the Northern Ireland and Great Britain markets for agricultural products.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Windsor Framework will ensure that goods being sold in Northern Ireland will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties, using only ordinary commercial information rather than customs processes or complex certification requirements for agri-food.
The Trader Support Service (TSS) is free to use and helps businesses with completing declarations without them needing to engage directly with HMRC systems. The TSS will continue to play an important role in helping businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, including facilitating the movement of agricultural products. The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) is also available, which provides additional financial support for traders moving agricultural products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to provide additional time to businesses who have not prepared for the labelling requirements set out in the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The October 2023 date for labelling related to GB to NI movements is immovable as it is the product of negotiations and agreement with the European Union and is established in the Windsor Framework legal text.
We recognise that the new labelling requirements represent a substantial change for industry. The Government will be working with operators to ensure that goods flows are not disrupted as the new arrangements come into force. This includes, for example, a specific transition period in the legal text which means goods that are already on the market will not need to be relabelled. It also includes funding to support the cost of new labelling requirements. We will adopt a pragmatic approach to compliance in the initial phase of implementation.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Farm Animal Welfare Committee opinion on the Welfare of Farmed Fish at the Time of Killing.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston on 10 March 2023, PQ 158986.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to remove VAT on school-specific uniform items in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including school uniforms, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items.
In addition, certain school uniform items may also benefit from a zero rate of VAT irrespective of size. For instance, garments which bear a prominent logo, crest or badge identifying them as part of the official uniform of schools catering exclusively for children under 14 years of age can be zero-rated.
The UK is one of only two countries among the 37 OECD member countries to maintain a VAT relief for children’s clothing, which costs the Exchequer £2 billion per year.
Going further would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. Whilst we have no current plans to extend the existing zero rate, we nevertheless keep all taxes under review.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to implement trader support service declarations for movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Trader Support Service (TSS), which was launched in 2020, will continue to play an important role in helping businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. The TSS is free to use and can help businesses with completing declarations without them needing to engage directly with HMRC systems. It also provides a comprehensive educational offering on all relevant customs processes.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to support the suppliers of fresh and frozen products seeking to send their products to Northern Ireland with labelling requirements.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 9 June UK Government published guidance to support industry to implement the new labelling requirements. We also engage stakeholders regularly to provide further bespoke support. The UK Government will also provide financial support to help businesses with the new labelling requirements for October 2023. Further guidance on this will be provided later in the year.