Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act in India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We trust the Government of India will provide reassurances to those expressing concern about the potential impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act. We have a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India, and we discuss all elements of our relationship.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to implement third-party certification to ensure e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are approved by an independent body before being available for sale.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government takes consumer protection very seriously and is concerned about the frequency of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters. Products must be safe before being placed on the UK market.
Working across Government we are taking action against unsafe products and have issued guidance on the safe use of these products. We are also seeking to better understand the root causes of these incidents and have commissioned research from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (part of Warwick University).
This research will help inform the position moving forward including the interaction between batteries and chargers, and the suitability of third-party conformity assessment to tackle this complex issue.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps to provide additional funding for security in Haiti in the context of recent violence in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting a Haitian-led political solution to the escalating violence in the country, and commends the efforts of Caribbean partners to work towards a return to security and stability. I [Minister Rutley] attended the Caribbean Heads of Government meeting (CARICOM) in Guyana on 26 February and heard their concerns on the security situation in Haiti. The UK Government assists Haiti through our financial contributions to UN agencies and the World Bank. We are increasing support for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to secure their borders in response to worsening violence in neighbouring Haiti.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the press release on childcare costs published by Pregnant Then Screwed on 18 February 2024.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
By the 2027/2028 financial year, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education. This is the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2 year olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks of the year) from the term after the child’s 2nd birthday. Over 100,000 parents have already applied for the expansion starting in April, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has confirmed that our latest projections show that more than 150,000 new funded places will be secured by early April.
From September 2024, the department will provide working parents with 15 hours of free childcare a week from when their child is 9 months until they start school. This will increase to 30 hours from September 2025.
Delivering that ambition includes increasing childcare funding rates, with an additional £204 million in this financial year, an additional £400 million in the coming financial year and guaranteed uplifts in line with cost pressures for two years after that. The department is providing grants to help new childminders enter the sector and, to make it easier for the sector, making changes to the early years foundation stage to provide more flexibility.
The department hears every day from families how significant this policy will be for their finances. Once the roll-out is completed, eligible families will save up to £6,500 per year. The roll out will help parents to return to work or increase their hours, and tens of thousands of parents have already successfully applied for their codes, ready to take up their places in April. To see the full range of support they are entitled to, parents should visit: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
Hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are already registered for a 30-hour place, which can save eligible working parents up to £6,500 per child per year. Expanding this entitlement to younger children across the country will help even more working parents with the cost of childcare and make a real difference to the lives of those families.
In addition to the expanded entitlements, the government has also taken action to support parents on Universal Credit with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears. The department has increased support for these parents by increasing the childcare cost maximum amounts to £950 for one child and £1,629 for two children.
Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to financially support short term holiday let operators when the Furnished Holiday Let tax scheme is ended.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has announced that it will abolish the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) tax regime, equalising the tax treatment of landlords with short-term holiday lets and those with standard residential properties. This will take effect from April 2025, giving FHL landlords time to adjust to the change.
Following abolition, individual FHL landlords will have access to the same tax reliefs as other residential landlords. These include restricted finance cost relief and replacement of domestic items relief.
The Government keeps all tax policy under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the case of Muhammed Yasin Malik.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is not for the UK to comment on an independent judicial process in another country.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he had discussions with Mr Boris Johnson (a) before and (b) after his recent meeting with President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Boris Johnson was visiting entirely in a personal capacity and not acting on behalf of the UK Government. His trip was not funded by the UK Government. The UK does not accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolás Maduro following the 2018 presidential election.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.12 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, what the core level of funding for local roads was before the additional £8.3 billion was announced.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the 2023/24 financial year, the base level of funding before the additional £8.3 billion multi-year funding uplift was announced was £1.15 billion. This included the one-off £200 million uplift announced in Budget 2023. Prior to this the 2021 Spending Review had confirmed that the core level of funding for local highway maintenance would be a total of £915 million per year, to be shared between all eligible local highway authorities in England over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25. Authorities in London and in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) are treated separately.
Funding allocations for highways maintenance can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Colombian counterpart on support for peace talks with the Estado Mayor Central armed group.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February, the UK jointly led the third UN Security Council (UNSC) visit to Colombia in support of the 2016 peace process. The Council met with President Petro and the Colombian High Commissioner for Peace to discuss the Colombian Government's vision to broaden peace through dialogue with armed groups. The Council discussed the dialogue with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) which it has indicated a willingness to consider mandating the UN to support. Through our role as penholder at the UN Security Council (UNSC), the UK will continue to work closely with international partners in support of the peace process in Colombia.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the report by Independent Age entitled A constant struggle: The impact of high household costs on older people facing financial hardship, published in September 2023, on the proportion of older people on a low household income that had reduced their heating.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises the challenges posed by cost-of-living pressures, including the impact of energy bills, and is already providing extensive financial support to households. This includes a package of support to assist households and individuals with rising costs of living that will total over £104 billion, or £3,700 per household on average, over 2022-2025.
We support those most in need with millions of vulnerable households receiving up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments. These payments are in addition to established financial support which is available for low income and vulnerable households this winter through the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment which provides £25 during very cold weather. An extra cost of living payment is being paid to pensioner households worth up to £300 through the Winter Fuel Payment, meaning eligible individuals will receive between £250 - £600.