John Baron

The trees in Portcullis House were removed as they had become root bound, and as a result were no longer viable.

House teams are developing plans for the space in the Portcullis House atrium now the trees have been removed. The Administration Committee will be consulted later this year on the plans as they evolve.

I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's correspondence. The response was sent on 17 December 2021.

I apologise for the delay in considering and responding to the issues the hon. Member has raised. The response to this correspondence will be issued shortly.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

My hon. Friend, Kevin Hollinrake MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, wrote to you on 8 March in response to your letter relating to a constituent with case reference JB38051.

The Department attaches great importance to the timely processing of correspondence. The Department offers sincere apologies for exceptional delay in processing this case to the member for Basildon and Billericay and will expedite a reply as soon as possible.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Energy and Climate wrote to the Hon. Member on 11 January 2023 about the cost of oil and gas.

Local authorities were informed of their allocations for this grant on 14^th January and funding was transferred on 15^th January. The Department is working closely with local authorities to ensure that grants may now be made as quickly as is practicable.

In the event that the UK leaves the EU with no deal, professionals from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland who have had their qualifications formally recognised in the UK before exit will continue to be able to rely on those recognition decisions to practice their profession in the UK. Similarly, recognition decisions for UK professional qualifications awarded in the EEA and Switzerland before exit will remain valid.

In the event that the UK leaves the EU with no deal, new applications for recognition of EEA and Swiss qualifications in the UK made after exit could be recognised if the qualifications are of an equivalent standard to UK qualifications in scope, content and level. UK nationals seeking recognition to practice regulated professions in the EU would have to check the national policies and rules of the relevant Member State in which they intend to practice.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the current arrangements between the UK and the EU on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications will continue to apply during the implementation period.

UK nationals and EU citizens who have obtained - or applied for - a recognition decision before the end of the implementation period will continue to be able to rely on those recognition decisions - or have those applications completed - after the implementation period. These provisions will apply to applications for the European Professional Card and qualifications recognised under the Professional Qualifications Directive for the purpose of establishment but not for the temporary and occasional provision of services, lawyers practising under host State title, approved statutory auditors, and persons engaged in the trade and distribution of toxic products.

After the implementation period, new applications for recognition of UK qualifications in the EU, and vice versa, will be subject to arrangements to be agreed in the negotiations on our future relationship.

A range of Government departments have an interest in chess. For example, the Department for Education would lead on chess in schools.

Within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ultimately the Secretary of State would have overall responsibility, while other issues would fall to different Ministers depending on the nature of the issue. For example, the Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society would have an interest in questions related to promoting chess to young people outside school - while the Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries would engage the gaming industry on online forms of chess.

The Government is strongly supportive of the community radio sector and recognises the great value that it offers to those communities they serve, in terms of providing quality local news, information and entertainment. We are committed to community radio's long-term sustainability, which is why we are currently holding discussions with the Community Media Association (CMA) on how to support it through Covid-19. We recognise that community radio is a useful conduit for disseminating information to hard to reach groups, however decisions regarding the funding and distributing of advertisements is dealt with by the Cabinet Office. I understand that the Community Media Association is liaising with them and OmniGov, the government’s media planning and buying partner.

I can confirm that a response has been sent to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

I can confirm that a response to the letters dated 19 August, 17 September and 15 October 2020, regarding his constituent Ms Halton, has been sent to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

A response has been sent to the letters dated 2 April, 1 May, 28 May and 25 June 2020, from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay. A response was sent via email to the hon. Member on 16 July 2020.

A response to the hon. Member is being prepared and will be issued in due course. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 23 January 2024. On behalf of the Department, I sincerely apologise for the delay.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on the 3rd January. On behalf of the Department, I sincerely apologise for the delay.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 29 June 2023.

I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member. The correspondence has been transferred to the Government Legal Department who will respond directly.

There are no plans to cancel or postpone HS2, which remains at the heart of this Government’s plans to boost economic growth. HS2 is transformational and will act as a catalyst to help level-up the economies of the Midlands and the North.

With construction now well underway, HS2 and its supply chain is already supporting 27,000 jobs, including over 950 apprenticeships and over 2,500 businesses, 97% of which are UK-registered.

I look forward to updating the House shortly on the progress of the programme through the next six- monthly update.

The Government recognises the challenges consumers and many businesses are facing regarding refunds for cancelled cruise ship holidays, which are governed by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

The Department for Transport has held regular discussions with cruise ship companies and is continuing to work closely with the sector and consumer groups to help ensure cruise ship companies deliver on their commitments. The Government’s position is clear – if a customer asks for a refund, that refund needs to be paid.

A reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member was sent on 30 January.

A DWP Complaint Resolution Manager provided a full response to Mr John Baron MP’s correspondence on 4 August 2022. A copy of this has been reissued via email on 5^th September 2022.

Unfortunately, DWP did not have a record of receiving the correspondence referred to. A DWP official contacted the hon. members office on 5 July, where a copy of the original email was provided to DWP. This has shown the original email was sent to an invalid email address.

When DWP receive correspondence from a Member of Parliament, they aim to fully resolve or agree a resolution within 15 working days of receipt. The Child maintenance Service will provide a further update to the MP by 26 July.

We replied to this correspondence and its three chasers on 21 December 2023. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.

I responded to the hon. Member’s letter on 14 December 2023.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Markham) replied to the hon. Member on 10 November 2023.

£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.

Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of this Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including the Mid and South Essex ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering National Health Service trusts.

As the principal provider of diagnostic services in the ICB footprint, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is currently formulating and confirming its recovery plans with the integrated care board. The Trust intends to increase both internal capacity and insourcing with external support.

Additional endoscopy capacity from new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) currently being established across the ICS will start to come onstream later this year. On the border of the Basildon and Billericay constituency, the Pitsea area will host Pitsea CDC. Once open, endoscopy services may be offered to the local population, where convenient, to improve their access to diagnostic care, including endoscopy services.