Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that police budgets are adequate in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We will always ensure that the police have the powers and resources needed to keep our citizens and communities safe.
The next Spending Review will set long term police budgets. The Home Office is grateful to the police for the good work they are doing to build the evidence base to support that work, and we will also want to see evidence that this year’s investment is being well spent. In addition to working together to understand demand, we will be working with the police to present an ambitious plan to drive improved efficiency, productivity and effectiveness through the next Spending Review period.
The Home Secretary has been clear that he will prioritise funding for the police at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will ensure that the UK Government fully funds police pension cost increases in (a) 2020 and (b) after.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In his Budget, the Chancellor committed to providing funding for the police in 2019/20 to cover additional pensions costs above the £165m which was expected at Budget 2016. The provisional police settlement announced specific pensions funding of £153m to cover the additional costs arising from both the police officer scheme and the police staff in the civil service pension scheme.
The Government is enabling an overall increase in funding of up to £970m in police funding including precept and national priorities. This pensions funding, taken together with the additional grant funding and local precept, provides sufficient means for the police to meet cost increases, while continuing to recruit and invest in the capabilities they need.
Cost pressures, including pensions, beyond 2019/20 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review where decisions on longer term police funding will be made in the round.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to enable police forces in Wales to access funding from the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Hurd
At a time when we are increasing investment in policing and the police are actively recruiting, the police constable degree apprenticeship is an important addition to the way forces recruit. It is also an attractive opportunity for people who want to earn while they learn in a valuable and exciting job.
That is why the Government stepped in earlier this year to provide £600k short-term funding to allow Welsh forces to proceed with recruiting and training new officers through this important route.
While this funding has helped Welsh forces to put provision in place during the current financial year, the UK Government clearly wants to ensure the best possible outcome for forces across England and Wales. We are working with our partners across Government, in the College of Policing, Welsh Government and Welsh forces to find a long-term solution to this issue.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with pharmaceutical companies on stockpiling breast cancer medicines to prepare for the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
On 23 August 2018 the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with prescription only or pharmacy medicines from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the unlikely the event that the UK were to leave the EU without a deal.
Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
We understand medicines for breast cancer patients are vitally important to many people in this country. However, the Department recognises that through its medicines supply contingency programme, it is requesting sensitive commercial information from pharmaceutical companies. To reassure participating companies, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s programme. That means not introducing information about a company, specific medicine or their supply routes into the public domain.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of delays in drug supply chains on access to medicines for breast cancer patients in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
On 23 August 2018 the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with prescription only or pharmacy medicines from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the unlikely the event that the UK were to leave the EU without a deal.
Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
We understand medicines for breast cancer patients are vitally important to many people in this country. However, the Department recognises that through its medicines supply contingency programme, it is requesting sensitive commercial information from pharmaceutical companies. To reassure participating companies, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s programme. That means not introducing information about a company, specific medicine or their supply routes into the public domain.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will outline the scoring mechanism for the procurement of new HS2 rolling stock that will reflect the need for the benefits of HS2 investment to be spread across the whole of the UK.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The ‘benefits realisation’ requirements of the HS2 rolling stock procurement requires the successful tenderer to achieve a number of skills, education and employment objectives including items such as apprenticeship and graduate recruitment in addition to supporting the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham and Doncaster. It also requires the successful tenderer to promote supply chain opportunities to the wider supply chain across the UK including new entrants and SMEs. Tenderers’ plans for delivering the ‘benefits realisation’ requirements are assessed in Stage 4 of HS2’s tender evaluation model.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what formula is used to determine the figures for the JSA Applicable Amount as set out in regulations 83 and 84 (1) of Schedule 1 on Applicable Amount Part 1 Personal Allowances in the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The “applicable amount” for Jobseeker’s Allowance is set each year by the government after a review of the level of benefit that a claimant may receive. The rates for Jobseeker’s Allowance were originally based on the equivalent provisions for Income Support, which were in force in October 1996, when JSA replaced the element of that benefit for those who are unemployed, on low or no income or other financial means and are available and looking for work.
The proposed benefit and pension rates for 2018/19 can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2018-to-2019
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to internally displaced people; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to meeting the needs of all displaced populations, including Internally Displaced Persons. We are providing more multiyear funding to support internally displaced populations and the communities that host them, through both humanitarian and longer term development programmes including those in Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.
We support, through core and bilateral funding, some of the key agencies involved in IDP response, including the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter of the First Minister of Wales of 6 December 2017 on additional financial support for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
Answered by Claire Perry
My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has responded to the First Minister of Wales’ letter.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of not proceeding with the electrification of the Cardiff-Swansea mainline.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The UK Government is committed to reducing emissions across the nation’s transport network. The bi-mode Intercity Express trains on the Great Western route will utilise modern technology and will produce less emissions than today. Once the Great Western transformation is complete the new trains will spend most of the journey between London and Swansea in electric mode, with near-zero emissions. In diesel mode the new trains meet the highest rolling stock emissions standards and will convert nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases into water.