Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle unfair practices in the hospitality sector in relation to (a) tips, (b) gratuities, (c) cover charges and (d) service charges.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Through the Good Work Plan, the Government is taking forward the largest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. In order to improve fairness for workers, we have committed to introduce legislation to ensure that tips left to workers will go to them in full.
We expect over a million workers to benefit from new rules on tips, many of whom are in low-paid jobs. Consumers will have reassurance that the money they leave in good faith is going to the staff, as they intended.
We have been working closely with stakeholders and across Government to prepare this legislation and will lay measures in Parliament as soon as possible.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much compensation Northern Rail has paid to passengers for delays and cancellations since the start of the current franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department for Transport published data (1 October 2018) shows that Northern Rail paid almost £900,000 in passenger compensation since the start of the current franchise to 2017/18. This figure includes other discretionary compensation payments made following complaints of poor service, as well as payments for delays and cancellations.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Northern Rail has been fined for cancellations and partial cancellations since the start of the current franchise.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The number of cancellations and partial cancellations by Northern is monitored by the Rail North Partnership on behalf of the Department and Transport for the North. In line with the provisions of the Franchise Agreement, each year’s results are used to calculate an annual financial ‘performance sum payment’. Northern is required to reinvest this amount into performance improvement schemes aimed at raising performance for the benefit of passengers. The amount of these payments in each year is commercially confidential.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ministers in his Department have held recent meetings with representatives of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on proposals to reduce the number of fire stations and engines in the Manchester city region; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Hurd
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to him on 21 February 2019, UIN 222621.
Operational decisions are for each fire and rescue authority to make as part of the integrated risk management planning process. The authority is best placed to act on the professional advice of their Chief Fire Officer.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on the imprisonment of opposition leader Khaleda Zia.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We continue to stress to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. We expect those in detention, including Khaleda Zia, to be treated in accordance with Bangladesh's international commitments on human rights. We regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the treatment of those in detention and on the integrity and independence of the judicial process.
The Foreign Secretary wrote to Bangladesh Foreign Minister, AK Abdul Momen, this year to express our concerns about the general election in December 2018 and to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to maintain dialogue with opposition parties and civil society. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific reiterated these concerns and the importance of respect for human rights when he met the Prime Minister and ministers during his visit to Bangladesh in April 2019.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of redeployment opportunities for firefighters who have to work until the age of 60.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We do not collect data on redeployment opportunities for firefighters.
The availability of redeployment opportunities is a matter for individual fire and rescue authorities as employers.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with the Premier League in the last six months to discuss future funding for grassroots football.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I met with the Premier League on 31 January 2019. The Secretary of State met with them on 30 October 2018. The funding of grassroots football was discussed, and on both occasions the Premier League reaffirmed their commitment to invest over £100million in each of the next three years towards improving community football programmes and facilities across the whole of the country in partnership with the Football Association (FA) and Government.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to all-weather football pitches at grassroots level.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Sport England invests £18million each year into football facilities on behalf of the DCMS through ring-fenced exchequer contributions to the Football Foundation.
This funding, matched in partnership with the FA and the Premier League, sees more money than ever before going towards priorities identified in the National Football Facilities Strategy. The Strategy sets new challenging targets to significantly improve the nation’s facilities stock over the next 10 years with an increase in 3G pitches is a key strategic priority. This will be delivered through initiatives like the “Parklike Hubs” programme that predominantly aims to deliver multi pitch 3G hubs for community use at strategic locations across the country.
Local authorities are important stakeholders in the implementation of the National Football Facilities Strategy as so much of the stock of facilities are in public ownership. Sport England is working closely with the FA to develop Local Football Facility Plans for every Local Authority in England. The plans will be in place by 2020 and will identify local priorities where investment in grassroots facilities is needed the most.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has received recent representations on the role of local authorities in the future of grassroots football; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Sport England invests £18million each year into football facilities on behalf of the DCMS through ring-fenced exchequer contributions to the Football Foundation.
This funding, matched in partnership with the FA and the Premier League, sees more money than ever before going towards priorities identified in the National Football Facilities Strategy. The Strategy sets new challenging targets to significantly improve the nation’s facilities stock over the next 10 years with an increase in 3G pitches is a key strategic priority. This will be delivered through initiatives like the “Parklike Hubs” programme that predominantly aims to deliver multi pitch 3G hubs for community use at strategic locations across the country.
Local authorities are important stakeholders in the implementation of the National Football Facilities Strategy as so much of the stock of facilities are in public ownership. Sport England is working closely with the FA to develop Local Football Facility Plans for every Local Authority in England. The plans will be in place by 2020 and will identify local priorities where investment in grassroots facilities is needed the most.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve public access to school football facilities to increase participation in grassroots football.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We want all schools to maximise the use of their facilities – for the mutual benefit of schools and their communities. This is an ambition set out in the Government's Sporting Future strategy and the Department for Education’s Governance Handbook for schools.
Sport England’s 'Use Our School' resource has been designed to support schools to open up their facilities for community use and to help those that are already open to stay open.
The new cross-departmental School Sport and Physical Activity Action Plan, which will be published in the spring, will also consider how school facilities can best be used to encourage all children to play more sports, including football, and to be more active.