Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require banks to compensate victims of fraud in circumstances in which anti-fraud banking protocols have not been followed.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
To protect victims against authorised push payment (APP) scams, ten of the UK’s largest banks are currently signed up to the voluntary Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code. In 2022, £248m of losses to APP scams were reimbursed to victims under the commitments of this code.
Further, through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the government legislated to require the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to introduce mandatory reimbursement for APP scams within the Faster Payment System, where 98% of APP fraud takes place. The PSR has confirmed that mandatory reimbursement will come into force in October 2024.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 4 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, what discussions he is having with (a) employers in the shipping industry, (b) trade unions and (c) the Maritime Skills Commission on maritime apprenticeships in the UK shipping industry.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department works with the Maritime Skills Alliance who design and promote qualifications and apprenticeships for the UK’s maritime sector. The Secretary to the Maritime Skills Alliance is a commissioner on the Maritime Skills Commission (MSC), which also includes trade union and employer representation. Apprenticeships have been discussed by the MSC, primarily in relation to the Ratings Review, which was published in September 2023. Maritime Minister Lord Davies discussed the Ratings Review with the MSC Chair on 27th February 2024.
The Department remains committed to ensuring seafarers have the qualifications they need, and their training is future proofed through the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme and implementation of the Ratings Review.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 3 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make it his policy to increase the (a) number and (b) proportion of UK seafarers working on merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport remains committed to growing the UK seafaring population and promoting the Merchant Navy as a career choice. The Department is future proofing seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation programme and the Ratings Review. The Department funds 50% of the cost of cadet training through the Support for Maritime Training fund and is supporting diversity through initiatives such as the Roadshow for Girls, which promotes STEM and maritime careers.
The Department has also amended UK legislation, increasing seafarer employment protections and allowing UK seafarers to compete for jobs on a level playing field. We continue to promote seafarer welfare and employment protection on the international stage. Our policies ensure foreign seafarers are paid a fair wage when working in the UK. UK visa policies further protect foreign seafarers from wage differential and reduce industry reliance on cheaper overseas labour at the expense of UK seafarers.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry, published on 22 February 2024, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the annual increase in seafarers working regularly at sea on vessels owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The increase in seafarers employed by UK Chamber of Shipping members in 2023 is driven by an increased number of Ratings and Uncertificated Officers. This trend can be affected by a number of factors, including new companies joining and leaving the UK Chamber of Shipping. In 2023, the increase in Ratings was driven by an increase in reporting by a single cruise company.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make an estimate of the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department of Transport does not have an estimate for the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS).
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers have involved razors in the last year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors which have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors that have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons safe places to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper we committed to trial alternatives to wet shave razors, and during 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. The evaluation of these pilots will conclude in March 2024 and will inform decisions about future shaving provision in prisons.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors which have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors that have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons safe places to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper we committed to trial alternatives to wet shave razors, and during 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. The evaluation of these pilots will conclude in March 2024 and will inform decisions about future shaving provision in prisons.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors which have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors that have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons safe places to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper we committed to trial alternatives to wet shave razors, and during 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. The evaluation of these pilots will conclude in March 2024 and will inform decisions about future shaving provision in prisons.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has received representations from Durham County Council on the conversion of family homes into houses of multiple occupation for the accommodation of asylum seekers by the Mears Group.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.
The Home Office hold monthly meetings between asylum accommodation contract providers, Strategic Migration Partnerships and local authorities for each region. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss proposed asylum dispersal properties, allowing the views of local authorities to be aired for Home Office consideration.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the cost to the NHS caused by Royal Mail (a) delays and (b) failures to deliver appointment letters.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England sends communications and invitations to patients using a digital first approach, for environmental reasons and to efficiently reduce costs. If an individual has provided a mobile phone number and email address through their general practice, NHS England will, in the first instance, send most invitations for appointments via mobile phone text and email.
Letters are typically sent to patients when NHS England does not have alternative contact details on record, such as a phone number or email address. This ensures all patients receive notification of an appointment, including elderly and other vulnerable patients, where a digital first approach may not be possible or appropriate. Letters may also be sent occasionally as reminders.