Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been allocated to (a) local authorities and (b) other relevant bodies for the purpose of reducing children's exposure to air pollution in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2016-17 and (iv) 2015-16; and how much money was allocated to each such (A) scheme and (B) project.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, on 27 November 2018, PQ UIN192868.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Togo on the state of human rights in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The British Government strongly supports the delivery and upholding of human rights for all. During the UN Universal Periodic Review for Togo in October 2016, the UK welcomed its accession to the Second Operational Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty as well as its election to the Human Rights Council. The UK raised concerns on: child trafficking, prison policies, prison overcrowding and the treatment of detainees. We recommended that allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention and allegations of torture should be investigated thoroughly.
Togo has subsequently made welcome progress on human rights, taking steps to prevent torture and other human rights violations by the security forces. The continued resistance to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people remains deeply troubling and we urge the Government of Togo to implement laws that protect all individuals
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Togo Government respects the right of the Togolese to peaceful protest and demonstrations.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We encourage all parties to engage in peaceful dialogue with a view to adopting political reforms that will strengthen democracy in Togo. The British Government is engaging with the Government of Togo and partners in the region to urge a peaceful solution to the protests in the country.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage the Togo Government to accept recommendations made by the UN for it to (a) repeal laws which target human rights defenders and (b) implement laws which protect LGBTI people in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The British Government strongly supports the delivery and upholding of human rights for all. During the UN Universal Periodic Review for Togo in October 2016, the UK welcomed its accession to the Second Operational Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty as well as its election to the Human Rights Council. The UK raised concerns on: child trafficking, prison policies, prison overcrowding and the treatment of detainees. We recommended that allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention and allegations of torture should be investigated thoroughly.
Togo has subsequently made welcome progress on human rights, taking steps to prevent torture and other human rights violations by the security forces. The continued resistance to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people remains deeply troubling and we urge the Government of Togo to implement laws that protect all individuals.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of the ECOWAS political roadmap for Togo; and what plans the Government has to help that country to carry out reforms to ensure a fair election free from violence.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK has supported the President of Ghana, under the auspices of ECOWAS, in his mediation efforts on political dialogue which we hope will lead to free and fair elections in Togo on 20 December. The mediation recommended that all parties refrain from protest in the country in the lead up to the elections. We encourage both the Government and the opposition parties to continue with their efforts to reach an agreed political solution and ensure elections are free and fair and avoid violence.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the treatment of political prisoners in Togo who oppose the Togo Government.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The British Government strongly supports the delivery and upholding of human rights for all. During the UN Universal Periodic Review for Togo in October 2016, the UK welcomed its accession to the Second Operational Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty as well as its election to the Human Rights Council. The UK raised concerns on: child trafficking, prison policies, prison overcrowding and the treatment of detainees. We recommended that allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention and allegations of torture should be investigated thoroughly.
Togo has subsequently made welcome progress on human rights, taking steps to prevent torture and other human rights violations by the security forces. The continued resistance to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people remains deeply troubling and we urge the Government of Togo to implement laws that protect all individuals.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many help to buy equity loans have been made since the start of that scheme; and of those loans what proportion were for leasehold properties.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Help to Buy: Equity Loan has helped 169,102 households buy a new-build home from its launch on 1 April 2013 until 31 March 2018.
To end March 2018, overall, 24.9 per cent of these were for leasehold properties: 12.0 per cent of houses were leasehold and 92.8 per cent of flats were leasehold.
Statistical data is set out at Table 9, 9a and 9b in the quarterly statistical release to March 2018:
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason is the award of the South Eastern rail franchise delayed; what the revised timetable is for that award; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department continues to make progress evaluating bids for the South Eastern franchise. The Department will make an announcement on the intention to award in due course.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what agreements are in place with the Government of Pakistan on the transfer of prisoners; and what effect those agreements have had on the number of prisoners exchanged with that country.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Any foreign national who comes to our country and abuses our hospitality by breaking the law should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. More than 42,000 Foreign National Offenders have been removed from the UK since 2010, with over 5,600 removed in 2017/18.
A Prisoner Transfer Agreement is in place to allow Pakistani nationals to be transferred from the UK during their prison sentence so that they continue to serve their sentence in Pakistan (and vice versa for British nationals imprisoned in Pakistan), but it is currently suspended due to the corrupt release of prisoners transferred to Pakistan in 2010. Between the commencement of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement in 2008 and its suspension in 2010, a total of four prisoners were transferred to Pakistan, three of whom were corruptly released. The Government of Pakistan has since taken action to return the corruptly released prisoners to custody and has prosecuted those involved.
Work is underway with the Government of Pakistan to resolve the issues presented by the corrupt releases and restart transfers with appropriate safeguards in place. In the meantime, Pakistani nationals continue to be deported from the UK following completion of their prison sentences.
Asked by: Teresa Pearce (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many wholesalers have applied for registration under the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme since that scheme was introduced by HMRC on 1 January 2016.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Since the introduction of the Alcohol Wholesalers Registration Scheme on 1 January 2016, HMRC has received 9,984 applications for approval. This includes a small number of applications from non-wholesale businesses.
Over the same period, HMRC has rejected 811 applications for approval under the Alcohol Wholesalers Registration Scheme. This includes applications from businesses covered by an exemption, such as retailers who make wholesale sales unintentionally.