Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to support the nomination of health care workers in Gaza for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We recognise the vital work being carried out by healthcare workers in the current conflict. We are supporting NGOs and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip, to meet the immediate needs of the population there. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Rapid Support Forces occupying Wad Madani in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Since my Written Ministerial Statement of 30 November 2023, the UK has continued to call upon the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to effect a ceasefire, protect civilians and enable full humanitarian access to alleviate the Sudanese people's suffering. On 22 December 2023, the UK played a leading role in gaining consensus for a UN Security Council press statement, calling on both warring parties to cease hostilities immediately and condemning ongoing attacks against civilians in Wad Medani.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the reported flogging of Roya Heshmati in Iran; and whether he has had discussions with his Iranian counterpart on the matter.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO is aware of Roya Heshmati's case, which is indicative of the persecution women continue to face in Iran. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. Last year, the Foreign Secretary hosted a roundtable with Iranian women's rights defenders, joining them in calling for change. We will continue to raise women and girls' rights issues at all appropriate opportunities with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on (a) the circumstances in which a hospital in-patient would be required to attend a meeting at a jobcentre and (b) the circumstances in which a hospital in-patient would be required to attend a meeting if that necessitated the attendance of NHS staff.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no references within our Guidance which state we would require a hospital in-patient to attend a meeting at a Jobcentre.
Where a claimant is required to attend Work Focused Interviews, guidance states that work coaches have discretion to vary the frequency and appointment channel in light of the claimant’s needs, circumstances and capability. Guidance also states that in exceptional circumstances, where a claimant is absolutely prevented from accepting a Claimant Commitment, the requirement to do so is temporarily lifted. This includes, but is not limited to, instances where a claimant is undergoing medical treatment as an in-patient in a hospital.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on social security support for people with a mental health care plan.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Ministers hold discussions with other ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues. Entitlement to social security support through welfare benefits is a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions and is based on an individual’s circumstances. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop a tool which will potentially better support policymakers across Whitehall to examine the impact of their proposals on people’s mental health.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2024 to Question 10700 on Social Rented Housing: Tenants, if he will start to hold the necessary data in order to provide an estimate of the number of social housing tenants in rent arrears due to 53 rent payment weeks in 2024.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have no plans to collect this data because social tenant rent account balances are not required to calculate Universal Credit awards. Regulations only permit the collection of data that is pertinent to the calculation of a claimants Universal Credit award.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether a commission fee was added by Gallions Approach Management Ltd to the application to the Building Safety Fund in relation to the application for Drift Court in the London Borough of Newham, reference London_1595.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In the submission to the Building Safety Fund (BSF), Gallions Approach Management Ltd, the applicant for Drift Court, Newham, did not add a commission fee to their application to the BSF.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to amend the cooperation agreement between the Society of Lloyds and the Prudential Regulation Authority to place obligations on Lloyds of London to help meet the UK's climate targets.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The financial regulators’ primary focus must be to ensure the safety, soundness and integrity of the markets they regulate. While the government expects that the regulators will play a crucial role in supporting the achievement of the government’s net zero target, it is not their primary responsibility given many of the levers for change sit outside of financial services regulation.
However, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new regulatory principle for the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator to consider in their work. To further strengthen the UK’s regulatory regime relating to climate and the environment, the government has embedded the consideration of the UK’s climate and environmental targets across the full breadth of the regulators’ general functions on a statutory basis.
This regulatory principle seeks to cement the government’s long-term commitment to transform the economy in line with its target to reach net zero by 2050, and to make progress towards the government’s long-term environmental goals, by ensuring the regulators must have regard to the government’s commitment to achieve these targets when discharging their functions.
This principle does not create any specific requirements on firms. Rather, they are expected to inform the future work of the regulators.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing statutory duties on the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Prudential Regulation Authority to help meet the UK's climate targets.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The financial regulators’ primary focus must be to ensure the safety, soundness and integrity of the markets they regulate. While the government expects that the regulators will play a crucial role in supporting the achievement of the government’s net zero target, it is not their primary responsibility given many of the levers for change sit outside of financial services regulation.
However, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new regulatory principle for the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator to consider in their work. To further strengthen the UK’s regulatory regime relating to climate and the environment, the government has embedded the consideration of the UK’s climate and environmental targets across the full breadth of the regulators’ general functions on a statutory basis.
This regulatory principle seeks to cement the government’s long-term commitment to transform the economy in line with its target to reach net zero by 2050, and to make progress towards the government’s long-term environmental goals, by ensuring the regulators must have regard to the government’s commitment to achieve these targets when discharging their functions.
This principle does not create any specific requirements on firms. Rather, they are expected to inform the future work of the regulators.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 9728 on Building Safety Fund: Newham, whether his Department requires a new Principal Accountable Person to submit a fresh application to the Building Safety Fund in the event of resignation by the Company Secretary at Gallions Approach Management Ltd.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
If an Applicant changes managing agent, they will need to assure the department and its delivery partners that funds already paid are properly accounted for and (if applicable) transferred to the service charge account of the new managing agent. Subject to appropriate diligence checks, future payments can be made into the new managing agent’s account.
In the event of the resignation of the company secretary, Gallions Approach Management Ltd will remain the entity responsible for the project and the Building Safety Fund (BSF) application, and subject to the entity’s obligations under the Grant Funding Agreement and any other relevant contracts. There is no need to submit a new application to the BSF.
The department has entered into a Grant Funding Agreement with Gallions Approach Management Ltd. Their corporate governance is primarily a matter for the Applicant. The Applicant may wish to seek independent legal advice.