Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of low-income houses which are unable to afford living essentials due to a lack of funds.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not collect this information; however, National Statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found here.
A family is in combined low income and material deprivation if they have a material deprivation score of 25 or more and a household income below the relevant threshold of contemporary median income, Before Housing Costs. See here.
The estimated number of children, working-age adults, and pensioners in combined low income and material deprivation can be found in tables 1_4d, 1_5d and 1_6c, respectively, in the summary-hbai-1994-95-2021-22-tables file.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what reason a ringfenced fund for research on the effect of plastic pollution on the human body has not been set up.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is investing in R&D to address a range of emerging public health challenges, including the impact of nano- and microplastics. Through UKRI’s Medical Research Council, the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College have a broad programme of activity to study exposure to these materials and their impact on human health.
The Government does not generally ringfence funding for particular areas of research. In line with the Haldane principle, UKRI and other Government funders award grants to the best proposals that are submitted through a process of expert peer review.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to establish a dedicated research fund into the impact of plastic pollution on human health.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is investing in R&D to address a range of emerging public health challenges, including the impact of nano- and microplastics. Through UKRI’s Medical Research Council, the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College have a broad programme of activity to study exposure to these materials and their impact on human health.
The Government does not generally ringfence funding for particular areas of research. In line with the Haldane principle, UKRI and other Government funders award grants to the best proposals that are submitted through a process of expert peer review.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make it his policy to establish a dedicated ringfenced fund for research into the links between plastic pollution and trends in human health.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is investing in R&D to address a range of emerging public health challenges, including the impact of nano- and microplastics. Through UKRI’s Medical Research Council, the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College have a broad programme of activity to study exposure to these materials and their impact on human health.
The Government does not generally ringfence funding for particular areas of research. In line with the Haldane principle, UKRI and other Government funders award grants to the best proposals that are submitted through a process of expert peer review.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) local authorities on local authority funding for implementing Awaab’s Law.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Officials meet regularly with counterparts in local government to discuss a range of issues.
Social landlords already have a responsibility to meet the Decent Homes Standard (which specifies homes must be free of the most dangerous 'category 1' hazards) and to remedy disrepair. Awaab's law will establish the timeframes within which landlords have to fulfil those responsibilities.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of implementing Awaab’s Law.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Officials meet regularly with counterparts in local government to discuss a range of issues.
Social landlords already have a responsibility to meet the Decent Homes Standard (which specifies homes must be free of the most dangerous 'category 1' hazards) and to remedy disrepair. Awaab's law will establish the timeframes within which landlords have to fulfil those responsibilities.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the proposals by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust on an essentials guarantee when setting Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No formal assessment has been made.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the total amount of tax that has been (a) avoided, (b) evaded and (c) uncollected in (i) the last 12 months, (ii) since 2019 and (iii) since 2010.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually and are available on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps.
Historical figures for the tax gap for taxpayer behaviours can be found in table 7.1 of the online tables on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps-tables.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what ethical advice his Department sought on provision of legal support to the Rt Hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in relation to the Privileges Committee inquiry into that Member's conduct.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award followed the proper procurement process and received full scrutiny from all relevant officials.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the the value of (a) suspected benefit fraud in the last 12 months and (b) unpaid benefits in the last 12 months.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) estimates on the value of both fraud and error in the benefit system can be found in their annually published statistical report on the Monetary Value of Fraud and Error, the latest version of which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2021-to-2022-estimates. The estimates for 2022-23 are due to be published by DWP on 11 May.