Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with the Gambling Commission on the role of open banking technology in helping to tackle problem gambling.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government and Gambling Commission are exploring how technology and data can be harnessed in a number of areas to better prevent harmful gambling online. The Government’s White Paper on the Gambling Act Review will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings have taken place between (a) Cabinet members and (b) other Ministers and social media network, Parler, since December 2019.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
There have been no meetings between Cabinet Office ministers and Parler.
Full details of all departments’ ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Secretary was informed by the Rt hon. Member for North East Somerset of the shares in Yandex Ltd held by Somerset Capital Management LLP while he held his positions as (a) Leader of the House and (b) Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities; and whether an assessment was made of whether this could have constituted a conflict of interest.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the member for Northampton North on 14 March 2022 (UIN 122754) and to the Annual Report of the Independent Adviser on Ministers Interests, together with the List of Ministers Interests, which were published on 31 May 2022.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) members of the Cabinet and (b) other Ministers have been involved in discussions on the content of (i) the Online Safety Bill and (ii) the National Security Bill since 24 July 2019.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Both the Online Safety Bill led by DCMS and the National Security Bill led by the Home Office include measures that touch on policy areas covered by a range of government departments. As such, Ministers from across government have been involved in their development from initial policy discussions to introduction to Parliament over several years. In line with normal process, both of these Bills come under Cabinet collective agreement.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Permanent Secretary of his Department was informed by his predecessor the Rt hon. Member for North East Somerset of the stake held in Yandex Ltd by Somerset Capital Management LLP on taking up his post on 6 September 2022; and whether an assessment was made of whether this could have constituted a conflict of interest.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My Rt Hon. Friend the Member for North East Somerset declared his interests to the Permanent Secretary soon after his appointment as Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code. I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to her today by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Horsham to Question 82488 for further detail on the ministerial conflicts of interest process.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to raise the charity lottery annual sales limit.
Answered by Paul Scully
The society lottery annual sales limit was last increased as part of a wider package of reforms in 2020. These were reviewed 12 months after they were implemented, and the results of the review were published in March 2022. It concluded that it was too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the changes, especially during a time when the effect of the Covid pandemic made any evaluation more difficult, and that more data on annual growth of the sector was required before considering any further changes. My officials will continue working with the Gambling Commission, as part of its regulatory role, to keep the sector under review.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the rising cost of living on the (a) veterinary, (b) pet food, (c) energy and (d) animal care supplies costs associated with companion animal welfare.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HM Government is concerned about the impact of rising bills on all aspects of people's lives and businesses, including the costs associated with companion animal welfare. Defra remains in close contact with animal welfare organisations and meets them regularly to understand issues that are affecting the sector, including the impact of rising bills on veterinary, pet food, energy and animal care supply costs.
The details of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme were announced on 21st September 2022. The scheme will initially run for six months covering energy use from 1st October 2022 until 31 st March 2023. The scheme applies to all non-domestic energy customers, including businesses involved with companion animal welfare that are on eligible contracts.
To support households, HM Government's Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain will save around £700 this Winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third. The scheme will run from 1st October to 31st March, with a Treasury-led review underway to consider more targeted support after this period.
Sector groups are closely monitoring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and identifying where more support may be needed. We welcome the support they are providing through pet food banks and financial support with veterinary treatment during these difficult times.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to bring forward the legislative proposals contained in the white paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published in June 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone deserves to live in a safe and secure home, and the Government has repeated its commitment to the ban on section 21 no-fault evictions to protect tenants. Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the Government. We intend to legislate in this parliament.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Alzheimer's Society's Left to Cope Alone report published in June 2022, whether it is her Department's policy that every person diagnosed with dementia should have guaranteed access to a dementia support worker or similar service.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The provision of dedicated dementia support and community link workers is determined locally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for services and support for people with dementia. NHS England expects ICBs to commission services which take into account relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines and the Dementia Care Pathway, which sets out benchmarks to improve the delivery and quality of care and support.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure people living with dementia in rural communities can access a timely diagnosis.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England has commissioned the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network to investigate the underlying variation in dementia diagnosis rates in targeted areas in England. This will include social and economic deprivation; rurality; demographic characteristics including age, ethnicity and educational attainment; and general health and life expectancy.