Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Digital Inclusion Strategy takes account of people who are unable to get online.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti
The Government is committed to ensuring no-one is left behind in this digital age. The 2022 UK Digital Strategy outlined work that will promote digital inclusion and help people to get online, including committing to at least 85% gigabit broadband coverage by 2025 and delivering legislation that will mitigate online harms through the Online Safety Bill (now Act).
Rather than write a standalone Digital Inclusion strategy, the Government is focused on delivering work that will address this issue. This is a cross-Government effort, with work being overseen by a new ministerial group, which will meet twice a year to drive progress.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of eligible people claiming Pension Credit.
Answered by Paul Maynard
We continue to maximise opportunities to raise awareness of Pension Credit which provides vital financial support to households on a low income. Our Pension Credit Communications campaign, ongoing since April 2022, has included advertising on national TV, newspapers, broadcast radio, on social media and via internet search engines as well as on screens in Post Offices and GP surgeries. We have also used sponsored advertising on targeted websites that pensioners, their family, and friends are likely to visit.
Our latest campaign messaging highlighted that Pension Credit can be worth up to £3,900 on average and is a passport to a range of other help and benefits – including Cost of Living payments.
There is a strong indication that the campaign has had a positive impact and has resulted in an unprecedented number of Pension Credit applications. The number of claims received in the financial 2022-23 was more than 80% higher than over the same period the year before.
The latest available figures covering the three months to May 2023 show an increase in the Pension Credit caseload. More households were receiving Pension Credit in May 2023 than in May 2022 at the beginning of the campaign. The recent quarterly increases in the caseload in August, November 2022 and now May 2023 – the first increases since 2009 - are very welcome and significant.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 potential impact of removing the Household Support Fund on low-income pensioner households.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024. The government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review 2020.
Answered by Laura Farris
I am grateful to all who took the time to contribute views to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review 2020 and the other consultations we ran in 2022 and 2023 as part of our Scheme review.
We are carefully considering the responses received and plan to publish a single response to all three consultations as soon as possible in 2024.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of flood defences.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Government is working closely with the Environment Agency and relevant authorities to ensure flood defences impacted by recent flooding are repaired as quickly as possible; around 14,000 asset inspections have been conducted following the recent storms with action taken wherever asset performance was compromised.
This year and last, £200 million is being invested in maintaining flood risk assets, with the aim of achieving our current target of between 94-95% in target condition.
In the City of Chester, in the current Flood and Coastal Risk Management capital programme, £20,000 of Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid funding has been allocated for projects in the constituency, which will better protect properties from flooding. There is also a proposed project in the Stretford and Urmston constituency (Longford Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme).
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish the (a) invitation and (b) attendance list for the AI Safety Summit 2023 on 1 and 2 November at Bletchley Park.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti
The AI Safety Summit was attended by representatives from governments, multilateral organisations, and companies at the frontier of AI as well as leading academic experts and wider industry and civil society with an important stake in the safe development of frontier AI. In the run-up to the Summit, the government engaged widely to ensure that a diverse range of perspectives were reflected. A list of those organisations which attended the Summit has been published and can be found here.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 5 July 2018 to Question 158337, on Social Services: Minimum Wage, if she will publish the market analysis referred to in that Answer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
We have no current plans to publish this analysis.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of work coaches in job centres have received disability equality training as of 15 November 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We are unable to provide the information you have requested as it is not centrally collected and would incur disproportionate costs.
However, all DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with disabilities, and they continue to build on this in the workplace through accessing point of need learning products. This includes all Work Coaches undertaking the Public Sector Equality Duty learning which was mandated for all Civil Servants by the Cabinet Office.
Work Coaches are also signposted to tools, guidance, and websites (internal and external), so that they have access to the most up to date advice and expertise to help them better support those with disabilities or health conditions.
Work Coaches are also supported by Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs) within Jobcentres. More information on DEAs can be found here https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-05-22/186157.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent conversations with his Israeli counterpart on the protection of civilian life in Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital.
Answered by David Rutley
Hospitals in Gaza must be allowed to operate safely and treat the vulnerable. We continue to impress upon Israel the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law and take all possible precautions to protect civilians, and we will continue to do so. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon posted on X (formerly twitter) on 12 November that he is deeply distressed by the loss of life in Gaza's hospitals. On 10 November in the UN Security Council, the UK stressed that all parties to the conflict must abide by International Humanitarian Law, including by protecting civilians, civilian infrastructure and hospitals.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on responsibility for the long-term security of Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
Since Hamas' terror attacks on 7 October, the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have spoken with counterparts from over 20 countries, including Israel, as part of extensive diplomatic efforts to sustain the prospect of peace and stability in the Middle East. As the Prime Minister has said, there is no scenario where Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza again. We want to see a move towards a peaceful Palestinian leadership as soon as is practicable. The longer-term governance of Gaza and security oversight needs to be looked at in the round, as part of a process towards a two-state solution which ensures Israel's security and provides a better future for the people of Gaza.