Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether territorial forces are able to apply for additional funding to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Safer Streets Round 4 was launched on 18 March and was open to Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities, British Transport Police and eligible civil society organisations across England and Wales to submit bids. This latest round combined and expanded on Rounds One, Two and Three of the Safer Streets Fund, and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, and targets neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls, and anti-social behaviour as a primary focus for the first time.
The bidding for round 4 has now closed and on 25 July the Government announced £50 million funding for 111 projects. This includes 83 projects which will deliver a wide range of interventions to tackle ASB, including: outreach and diversionary activities; educational programmes; professional development courses; ‘street scene’ enhancements; behavioural change campaigns; additional CCTV cameras; and multi-agency training.
Police forces have also received funding to recruit additional officers. We have given forces the biggest funding increase in a decade and they are recruiting 20,000 additional officers by March 2023, which provides extra resource to protect the public and keep us safe.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of calorie labelling requirements on restaurant menus on people with eating disorders.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
The Department continues to evaluate the impact of the out-of-home calorie labelling Regulations, including on people living with eating disorders and will publish a post- implementation review within five years of implementation. This will consider the implementation and effectiveness of the policy and will use various methods such as structured observations, intercept surveys, national survey analysis and qualitative interviews. The Department is commissioning additional research to ensure that the impact of the Regulations on people with lived experience of eating disorders is considered.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What steps he is taking to support the growth of the hydrogen sector in the UK.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We are delivering on the Hydrogen Strategy and will soon be launching our £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, providing up to £100 million for our first allocation round for electrolytic hydrogen projects and publishing our Sector Development Action Plan.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what legal protections and enforcement mechanisms are in place to help protect disabled passengers from experiencing discrimination when using licenced taxi cabs.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Wheelchair users travelling in taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) designated as being wheelchair accessible and assistance dog owners travelling in any taxi or PHV are protected from discriminatory treatment by Sections 165, 168 and 170 of the Equality Act 2010, which prevent non-exempt drivers from refusing them carriage or charging them more than other passengers.
Local taxi and PHV licensing authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases referred to them, and convicted drivers face fines of up to £1,000.
However, the Government recognises that the law is inconsistent in its application, and is supporting the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill introduced by Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC MP, which seeks to extend the existing protections to any disabled person when travelling by any taxi or PHV.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question
To ask the President of COP26, what steps the Government is taking to meet commitments made on hydrogen as part of the Glasgow Breakthroughs launched at COP26.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is collaborating closely with partners to embed the Breakthrough Agenda, reinforcing the international leadership on hydrogen delivered under our G7 and COP Presidencies.
A report will be published on the global state of transition in Breakthrough sectors, and leading actors will convene to discuss accelerating Hydrogen Breakthrough delivery.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to effectively monitor Iran’s nuclear programme.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Iran has been in non-compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments since July 2019. Iran's nuclear programme is now more advanced than it has ever been before. Since February 2020, Iran has significantly reduced IAEA access by withdrawing from JCPoA-agreed monitoring arrangements, and suspending its implementation of the Additional Protocol.
The UK has repeatedly made clear that Iran must fully co-operate with the IAEA, including on all issues related to the IAEA's separate safeguards investigation. Doing so is both a legally-binding obligation and essential to assuring the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment the Government has made of the contribution of the steel industry in Wales to the UK economy.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The UK Government recognises the importance of the steel industry in Wales and the UK. This House only needs to look at the £30 million loan we secured for Celsa to see our commitment to the sector. Our response during the pandemic helped secure more than 1,000 steel jobs.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the supply of lateral flow tests for use by close contacts of positive covid-19 cases.
Answered by Maggie Throup
There is no shortage of lateral flow tests and we continue to procure enough stock to meet ongoing demand through national and local delivery channels. We are also ensuring that lateral flow device tests can be delivered to homes, collected from local pharmacies and some community sites.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department is having with relevant stakeholders on expanding vaccine recognition for UK residents vaccinated abroad with a covid-19 vaccine approved for use by the MHRA.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department has regular discussions with relevant stakeholders on this issue and a solution is now in place for those vaccinated abroad with a vaccine that is also approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Since 25 November, anyone residing in England and vaccinated with any MHRA-approved vaccine types overseas can get an NHS COVID Pass. As of 9 December, individuals can now book a face-to-face appointment to visit a specific vaccination centre to update their record in the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS). Once vaccinations are verified and recorded in NIMS, they will be displayed in the NHS COVID Pass. Further expansion of this service, to include additional vaccines, is planned in due course.
Asked by: Jacob Young (Conservative - Redcar)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities have signed up to the voluntary dispersal scheme for asylum seekers as of July 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
There are currently 168 Local Authorities in the UK with supported asylum seekers residing in dispersal accommodation provided by the Home Office.
A further 24 local authorities have no-one residing in dispersal properties but have supported asylum seekers residing in contingency accommodation