First elected: 7th May 2015
Left House: 3rd May 2017 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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).
These initiatives were driven by Tania Mathias, 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.
Tania Mathias has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to amend Part 3 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to make noise caused by aircraft a statutory nuisance; and for connected purposes.
Child Maintenance (Assessment of Parents’ Income) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - David Burrowes (Con)
Lee Valley Regional Park (Amendment) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Jake Berry (Con)
Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 (Amendment) Bill 2015-16
Sponsor - Craig Mackinlay (Con)
Interest rates on student loans vary according to a number of factors, including a borrower's level of earnings, and whether they remain in contact with the Student Loans Company to ensure they are repaying when they are eligible to do so.
The maximum interest rate for the post-2012 system is the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure plus 3%. The maximum rate applies whilst the borrower is studying; is the maximum interest rate for those borrowers earning £41,000 and over; and is the default interest rate for those borrowers who fail to keep in touch with the Student Loans Company.
Once a borrower is due to repay, a variable rate of interest will be charged, which is dependent upon income. Borrowers with an income of £21,000 or less will accrue interest at RPI. For a borrower with income greater than £21,000, a real rate of interest will be tapered in, reaching a maximum of RPI plus 3% at an income of £41,000 or more.
The basis on which Chinese companies will invest in the Hinkley Point C project is set out in the strategic investor agreement agreed between EDF and CGN in October. The terms of this agreement are a matter for EDF.
Operators of new nuclear power stations are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear related construction can begin. The FDP sets out how a new nuclear operator will make secure financial provision for decommissioning their power station and managing and disposing of its waste without recourse to the taxpayer.
Operators of nuclear power stations are also required to put in place insurance or other financial security to meet their nuclear third party liabilities.
Certain provisions in the Equality Act 2010 – for example permitted exceptions from the age discrimination requirements for retail concessions to students and pensioners – are likely to be of particular benefit to single people.
Single status is not a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. In the provision of goods and services we believe there is a balance to be struck between the interests of single people and the commercial considerations of business. The government, therefore, has no plans to change the Equality Act 2010.
The Government appreciates that some people find unsolicited mail a real nuisance. This is why we have made sure that there are preference services in place to help those people stop receiving unwanted mail.
By registering with both preference services offered by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Royal Mail’s door-to-door opt-out service, the vast majority of unsolicited mail can be stopped. Registration is quick and free.
More information about these services can be found on the DMA’s Mailing Preference Service website (www.mpsonline.org.uk).
Good progress has been made. The industry is making extensive preparations in the areas of meter procurement; in building and testing their systems, and in staff recruitment and training. Consumers are already benefiting from the roll-out – around 1.5 million meters are operating under the Programme – putting consumers in control of their energy use, bringing an end to estimated bills, and helping people to save energy and money.
The Fundraising Preference Service, recommended by the Etherington reviewinto fundraising, will re-balancepower back to individuals and help them to press the 'reset' button on their relationship with fundraisers, giving them control over the fundraisingcommunications they receive from charities. It will stop people being inundated withrequests which they do not wish to receive and it will stop charities wasting resources oncommunicating with people that do not wish to hear from them. It also seeks to underwritepublic trust and confidence in charities which is vital to the sector’s work.
A working group involving charities is being established to develop the detailed plans for theimplementation of the service.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley on 2 November 2015 to UIN: 13799.
I currently have no plans to issue a direction requiring HM Revenue and Customs not to pursue social care providers for arrears of pay or penalties relating to periods that pre-date amended Government guidance.
The Government considers that the date of birth of company directors is an important identifier for those searching the public companies register as it allows searchers to distinguish between individuals with the same, or similar, names.
Following feedback from company directors about the availability of their full date of birth on the public register, section 96 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires the Registrar of Companies to suppress the “day” element of a director’s date of birth.
This strikes an appropriate balance between ensuring that the information on the public register is of real practical use and reducing the risk that the information becomes a tool for abuse by exposing individuals to the risk of identity theft or fraud.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
The Government is considering all the recommendations made in Julie Deane’s independent review of self-employment and will respond in due course.
All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account all relevant factors at the time of application. We draw on all available information, including checks using both open and classified sources, reports from non-government organisations and our overseas network, involving Desk and Post in the Foreign Office, when considering licence applications.
Foreign Office posts and departments in London monitor conditions in the respective countries – including human rights, regional tensions and the risk of exports being diverted to unintended end use – and advise on developments that might affect licensing policy.
In November 2016 the Government Office for Science published a report “Artificial intelligence: opportunities and implications for the future of decision making” which gives an overview of ways in which AI could change the nature of some areas of work. We have recently asked Jérôme Pesenti and Professor Dame Wendy Hall to undertake a review on artificial intelligence, to contribute to the development of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. As set out in the Industrial Strategy green paper, published January 2017 and the Digital Strategy, published March 2017, Government recognises that the rapid pace of technological change means digital techniques and technologies will change quickly so we are looking at ways to support people throughout their working lives.
We are taking forward a range of legislative measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Specific actions include; strengthening the ICO's direct marketing guidance by giving it statutory status; a proposal to extend the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls; and exploring the options for enabling the ICO to hold company directors to account for breaches of the direct marketing rules.
As previously stated in the House of Commons, Government is reviewing the situation and I hope to announce details of a review in due course.
We will publish the Government response to the consultation on the implementation of the English Baccalaureate in due course.
The Secretary of State has a duty to make an academy order for all local authority maintained schools that are judged by Ofsted to be inadequate. If an academy is judged to be inadequate, the Secretary of State has the power to transfer it to a stronger academy trust. In both cases, these academies will generally be inspected as new schools in their third year of operation.
We believe it is right in these cases to allow the new academy trust the opportunity to turnaround what was a previously failing school before it is inspected by Ofsted.
However, Ofsted will inspect schools at any time where information that they hold or receive causes sufficient concern.
Departmental funding rules require full time students with prior attainment of a D to work towards achieving a C grade or higher in GCSE English and maths. Students who achieve lower than a D grade at 16 may study other qualifications such as Functional Skills as a ‘stepping stone’ towards GCSE.
For those opting to retake their GCSE(s) or being required to do so due to having previously attained a grade D, there is no requirement for them to repeatedly re-sit the GCSE exam. Schools and colleges have the freedom to determine when a student is ready to re-sit their GCSE. This is because our 16-19 English and maths requirements relates to enrolments rather than exam entries. This provides a school or college the flexibility to determine when best for a student to be entered for and sit an exam. For some students that might be the following November, while other students may require
a year, or two years study and tuition before they are ready to re-sit the exam.
If students resit their GCSE part way through their programme and fail to gain a grade C then they are expected to continue studying for the GCSE.
Funding for the study of English and maths, including GCSE resits, is provided through the 16-19 national funding formula. The formula incorporates disadvantage funding for providers including a funding uplift of up to £960 per full time student per year to provide for the additional costs incurred for teaching students who have low prior attainment, as indicated by not achieving English and/or maths GCSEs at grade C or above by the end of year 11 (typically age 16). This additional funding is not intended to solely fund maths and English qualifications, but to fund support for students to achieve their learning goals, including maths and English.
For the past three years the Government has also invested in programmes to support improvements in the teaching of maths and English in Further Education (FE) settings. This year, funding will provide up to 13,000 training opportunities for FE practitioners to improve their subject knowledge and confidence in their teaching of maths or English, fund bursaries for 300 graduates to train to become maths or English teachers in FE settings and further build evidence on evidence of what constitutes effective delivery and teaching of English and maths for students aged 16 to 18 that have not yet achieved level 2 English and maths.
We are committed to providing the high-quality, affordable childcare that working families need.
To enable the successful implementation of 30 hours of free childcare, we are investing £1billion of additional funding per year, including £300million per year to increase our national average funding rates.
It is up to local authorities to decide how best to spend their Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) budgets, based on an analysis of local need. The reforms in the Children and Families Act 2014 were designed to make the SEND system less adversarial for parents and young people, as well as for local authorities. The process of Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and plan development is designed to be collaborative, meaning that most disagreements should be resolved early on. Where disagreements persist, we have introduced a requirement to consider mediation, which has often proved effective in reducing the need to make an appeal to the SEND Tribunal. For example, in 2015, 75% of disagreements over EHC plans for which mediation sessions were held did not result in a Tribunal appeal in that year.
The SEND Tribunal aims to be facilitative and accessible, so that it should not be necessary for either parents or local authorities to employ legal support when making or defending an appeal. No additional weight is given to evidence because it is presented by a lawyer and many parents and local authorities successfully pursue their case without legal representation.
The Department is currently conducting a Review of Disagreement Resolution Arrangements, as required by the 2014 Act, which will report to Parliament by 31st March 2017. The Review is looking at how the system of disagreement resolution is working for children, young people and their families, which includes enquiring about the costs incurred by both families and local authorities.
Effective drug education is essential in supporting prevention, and in addressing the problem of drug misuse. Education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people have the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe.
Drug education is part of national curriculum science at key stage 2 and key stage 3. Provision in this area can be built on through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
High quality PSHE can also play a vital role in developing the skills and attributes young people need to identify and manage risk and to stay safe. We believe that teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and our approach is for schools to develop their own local PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils, drawing on the resources and evidence provided by experts.
We want to ensure that all schools are drawing on the best evidence available to deliver their PSHE. In March 2015, the Department published a ‘Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education: a review of impact and best practice’, which included the best evidence on what works in drugs education. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pshe-education-a-review-of-impact-and-effective-practice.
It is good practice for schools to involve parents when developing their PSHE policy and schools are encouraged to publish their curriculum online. There are also useful resources available to support parents in increasing their knowledge about the risks that pupils face, including those problems caused by illegal drugs.
The new entitlement to 30 hours free childcare is intended to support working parents with the cost of childcare and enable them, where they want, to return to work or to work additional hours.
To meet the principle of designing a system that is simple for parents, the Government’s intention is that eligibility for 30 hours free childcare should broadly align with Tax-Free Childcare. In particular both parents, or the single parent in such households, will need to work the equivalent of 8 hours per week at the national minimum wage. Further detail on eligibility will be provided during passage of the Childcare Bill.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including on air quality.
Our air quality plans have always followed the best available evidence. We are currently working on the next steps needed to revise the national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide. We will set out further measures in 2017.
The Government has no plans to amend the Environmental Protection Act as suggested because it considers that aircraft noise is best managed through aviation policy.
Under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, businesses are required to ensure that all packaging shall not exceed what is needed to make sure that the products are safe, hygienic and acceptable for both the packed product and for the consumer. These Regulations apply to those responsible for packing or filling products into packaging and those importing packed or filled packaging into the UK from elsewhere.
In October 2014, Defra commissioned the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) project on biodegradable plastic carrier bags – solutions through innovation. The project is contracted to the plastic packing manufacturer Aquapak Polymers Ltd, and is due to report in December this year. The project is testing the biodegradability of a hydrophilic polymer under simulated composting and anaerobic digestion conditions, and in experiments simulating natural conditions, and testing the impact on aquatic life.
There has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK, or of British citizens in the EU, as a result of the referendum. The Department for Exiting the European Union is assessing the skills needed for the department, the right security protocols, and relative merits of potential employees in line with usual practice.
DFID’s Agricultural Policy Framework, published last year, sets out the approach and steps DFID will take to support agriculture. Depending on context and need, this is expected to include support to small scale organic, or smallholder, farmers in Africa. Our priorities include helping smallholder farmers to increase their productivity, and to better link them to markets to sell their produce so as to increase their incomes, improve their livelihoods and contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction.
For example we are providing support to the International Fund Agriculture Development’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme. This will help smallholder farmers in Africa cope with the impacts of climate change by providing extension services to farmers, improving irrigation and infrastructure, and helping farmers to increase their harvests through improved seeds and better soil and land management practices.
Since 2011, the UK has provided £163 million of core funding to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to deliver protection and assistance to refugees globally. The UK works with the Government of Iraq, Kurdish Regional Government, the UN and the international community to support the rights of all minorities and to ensure our aid reaches those in greatest need.
From January 2015 – March 2016 licences have been granted for military goods to the following countries of human rights concern:
Afghanistan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Burundi; Central African Republic; China; Colombia; Democratic Republic of Congo; Egypt; Iraq; Israel and The Occupied Palestinian Territories; Maldives; Pakistan; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Syria; Turkmenistan; Venezuela; Yemen and Zimbabwe.
Further details on all licences granted for export are publically available as Official Statistics at www.gov.uk.
All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and any sanctions or embargoes that may be in place at the time an application is submitted for consideration.
The Department held 20 public consultation events around Heathrow Airport between 13 February and 15 March in support of the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement. The table below holds the figures for how many members of the public were recorded as attending each event:
Event | Number of attendees |
Southall | 76 |
Uxbridge | 137 |
Kingston | 206 |
Bracknell | 223 |
Wimbledon | 176 |
Ealing | 224 |
Staines-upon-Thames | 297 |
Twickenham | 354 |
Putney | 257 |
Hounslow | 198 |
Stanwell Moor | 123 |
Kensington | 131 |
Windsor | 167 |
West Drayton | 281 |
Hammersmith | 303 |
Maidenhead | 206 |
Richmond | 429 |
Gerrard’s Cross | 156 |
Slough | 167 |
Isleworth | 229 |
Although these are the recorded attendance figures, there may be a small margin of error resulting from a manual count.
There are a number of ways for members of the public to raise concerns about both the process and content of the consultation events the Department is running on the draft Airports National Policy Statement:
a) Through discussion with officials at the local consultation events;
b) Calling the Department’s consultation enquiry helpline where queries can be logged and directed to the relevant area (0800 689 4968)
c) Emailing RunwayConsultation.admin@dft.gsi.gov.uk
d) By contacting Sir Jeremy Sullivan, the Independent Consultation Adviser at independentadviser@runwayconsultation.gsi.gov.uk
Safety and security are of paramount importance, these issues were considered by the Airports Commission and will be given due regard again at appropriate points in the process in light of established procedures and standards that apply to all airports.
Flightpaths for an expanded Heathrow have not been formulated and will be subject to consultation as part of the airspace change process.
We cannot be certain about the timing of the publication of draft flight paths for an expanded Heathrow Airport, because the airport operator will be leading the application for the airspace changes needed for new flight paths associated with a new runway. They will need to follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change process. It is through this process that communities will see and have the opportunity to comment on detailed proposals for any new flight paths. This process covers all aspects of the proposal including safety and environmental impacts, and a requirement to consult the communities that may be affected by the proposal.
I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on airport capacity on 25 October 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/airport-capacity. In that statement my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State set out how the announcement fits within the planning process, and the opportunities members of this House have to contribute.
He stated that in the New Year, we will bring forward a draft ‘National policy statement’, which includes the details of the proposed scheme.
As required under legislation, this will be subject to a full and extensive public consultation, followed by a period of Parliamentary scrutiny.
Only once members have voted on the final National Policy Statement and it has been designated will the airport be able to bring forward a detailed planning application.
The economic benefits of a new runway at Heathrow have been assessed at a national level. It is estimated that a new runway will deliver up to £61 billion of benefits to passengers and the wider UK economy.
The local jobs created at and around the airport have also been assessed, with Heathrow expansion expected to deliver up to 77,000 additional local jobs by 2030. While it is not possible to precisely quantify the impacts on regional jobs and GDP, expanding airport capacity in the South East will support economic growth in the UK’s regions.
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussion with the Chancellor about waiving stamp duty. These costs will not fall to local residents as Heathrow Airport Ltd has committed to pay the stamp duty costs for residents in both the compulsory and voluntary purchase zones.
A third runway at Heathrow is expected to become operational in 2026 subject to the Government’s consultation on a draft National Policy Statement and the planning process. In its Strategic Fit: Forecasts report, the Airports Commission (AC) published its assessment of how much capacity at the expanded Heathrow could be used.
Capacity is dependent on the level of future aviation demand. The AC therefore considered five alternate demand scenarios. Across these scenarios, Heathrow could reach full capacity by 2035, but in the lowest demand scenario, capacity may not be fully used until 2042.
The Government is seeking a legally binding ban on scheduled night flights of six and a half hours at an expanded Heathrow. This would provide an extra hour and a half free from noise compared to today’s operation. The rules around the operation of night flight restrictions would be determined through consultation in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Balanced Approach to noise management. Furthermore, it is also expected that new binding noise targets and runway alternation arrangements would be consulted on with local communities as part of the planning process.
The Government is committed to ensuring that expansion at Heathrow benefits the whole of the UK and strengthens regional connectivity. The Government will set out mechanisms to protect and strengthen domestic services when it publishes a draft National Policy Statement in the New Year.
The estimate of £61 billion includes the benefits to passengers and the wider economy of a new northwest runway at Heathrow, and was derived using established government appraisal techniques. The Airports Commission’s equivalent figure for the Heathrow Northwest runway scheme was £69 billion. The difference between the Commission’s and the DfT’s estimates reflects the DfT’s further consideration of wider economic impacts included in these figures.
Additionally, the Airports Commission used innovative modelling to estimate how airport expansion could impact on the growth in UK annual gross domestic product (GDP). The £211 billion figure represents the Commission’s estimate of the GDP impact in one of their five scenarios (“global growth”), which assumed higher global GDP growth than their central scenario. GDP and economic benefit measures are not comparable in their approach or purpose.
The Government agrees with the Airports Commission’s recommendation that a fourth runway at Heathrow Airport should be ruled out, and intends to take this forward as part of a draft National Policy Statement.
The Government have been clear that the promoter, Heathrow Airport Limited, will meet the cost of the surface access improvements necessary to allow expansion of the airport, including the costs of re-aligning the M25 motorway.
The Government requires that a legally binding ban on night flights of six and a half hours at an expanded Heathrow. Consideration of any ban will also be subject to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Balanced Approach to noise management, including specific consultation with local communities and other interested parties.
The Government has been clear that the promoter, Heathrow Airport Limited, will meet the costs of the surface access improvements necessary to allow expansion of the airport.
The Government’s 2013 Aviation Policy Framework makes clear that developers will pay the costs of upgrading or enhancing road, rail or other transport networks or services where there is a need to cope with additional passengers travelling to and from expanded or growing airports. Where the scheme has a wider range of beneficiaries, and are not specific to the addition of a new runway, the Government will consider, along with other relevant stakeholders, the need for public funding on a case-by-case basis.