Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of pairing British towns and cities with those in Ukraine and surrounding countries, to help support humanitarian efforts and to rebuild destroyed infrastructure.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK remains committed to supporting Ukraine, and we will continue to explore all available options to support Ukraine's humanitarian and reconstruction needs. Whilst twinning is a matter for councils themselves, the Government has recently used the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities' daily local government bulletin to highlight the Cities4Cities initiative; an on-line platform, sponsored by the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, that matches the demands and needs of Ukrainian cities with the capacity and know-how of local authorities across Europe, including those in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent the transmission of sexually explicit material of children online.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government introduced the Online Safety Bill to Parliament on 17 March 2022. This ground breaking legislation will tackle the growing and evolving threat of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), including the transmission of sexually explicit material of children online.
The Online Safety Bill sets out new duties on in-scope services to tackle illegal content. CSEA is named in the Bill as a priority offence, meaning companies must use systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Bill will also place a legal requirement on in-scope services to report online CSEA that they identify on their services. Ofcom can take enforcement action, including large fines, against companies that do not comply with their duties.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the temporary reduction of VAT for businesses in the hospitality sector beyond 31 of March 2022.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and to protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022.
This relief has cost over £8 billion and, whilst all taxes are kept under review, there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. The Government has been clear that this relief is a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has held with her US counterpart on the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
UK officials remain in close contact with the US Government regarding the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA) and we look forward to hearing more about their objectives and the projects it will support. Once more information is available, we will consider options for collaboration.
We are also in contact with the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) organisation regarding their concept of an International Fund. I spoke at ALLMEP's Annual Gala on 13 December and reiterated the UK's support for increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to promote (a) adoption and (b) implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism across higher education institutions.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
There is no place in our society, including within higher education (HE), for antisemitism. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition is an important tool in tackling antisemitism. Adopting the widely recognised definition sends a strong signal that HE providers take these issues seriously.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to the sector in October 2020, calling upon leaders to adopt the IHRA definition. He repeated this message in May, reinforcing the government's expectation that providers adopt the IHRA definition, stressing the even greater importance of doing so in light of increased number of antisemitic incidents recorded (as a result of the conflict in the Middle East). We are aware of over 100 HE providers which have now adopted the IHRA definition. This includes over 80 universities.
In his February 2021 strategic guidance letter, the Secretary of State also asked the Office for Students (OfS) to undertake a scoping exercise, to identify providers who are reluctant to adopt the definition. On 29 July 2021, the OfS announced they intend to publish a list of HE providers who have adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism in autumn 2021 alongside resources for providers.
The decision on adoption of the definition rests with individual providers, but the government will continue to urge them to adopt the definition and ensure that HE is a genuinely fulfilling and welcoming experience for everyone.
Adoption of the IHRA definition is only a first step, and while the government considers that adoption of the definition is crucial, it is not enough on its own. That is why I will continue to work with the sector to ensure it better understands antisemitism and does more to end it.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK aid is being used to promote the values of human rights, democracy and press freedom in (a) the West Bank and (b) Gaza.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in freedom, prosperity, and security. UK Aid helps promote the values of human rights by providing humanitarian and protection assistance in Gaza, including support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. The UK is working with the Palestinian Authority (PA) - and with Palestinian civil society - to make the security sector more accountable to its citizens, ensuring complaints of mistreatment or arbitrary detention are properly investigated. Our Transparency and Accountability programme is working to help the PA become more accountable to its citizens. Our Conflict Security and Stability Fund is supporting women and girls and people with disabilities to advocate for their rights and provided services to support victims of gender based violence. We work only with implementers and partners that have strong safeguards in place, which reduces risk and ensures the maximum impact of UK aid for Palestinians.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
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 align the separate national digital proof of covid-19 vaccination status systems of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so that information on vaccine status can be shared throughout the UK, in particular for people who are registered with a GP in one nation and due to work received the covid-19 vaccination in a different nation.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We are continuing to work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that a United Kingdom-wide approach is developed where possible. The adoption of a UK-wide COVID Pass letter has been agreed with the devolved administrations, which includes each nation’s health service logo. England and Wales launched the letter in early July, with Northern Ireland and Scotland to follow by late July.
Information for those vaccinated in England but registered with a general practitioner (GP) in Wales or Scotland is already in place. We are working with officials to ensure the cross-border data is in place for those vaccinated in Wales and Scotland but registered with a GP in England by late July. Work is underway to find a solution for cross border vaccinations with Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ability to verify and monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
On 23 February Iran suspended its application of the Additional Protocol and the transparency measures under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The Foreign Secretary, alongside his E3 partners, has made clear that Iran must reverse these restrictions and co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK has also repeatedly stated that Iran must co-operate on all issues related to the IAEA's separate safeguards investigation. We are currently engaged in intensive discussions in Vienna with JCPoA participants and the US, aimed at returning Iran back into full compliance with its JCPoA commitments, and restoring the benefits of the deal for all.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine to (a) internet and phone engineers and (b) other key workers who need to enter residential premises to carry out their work.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the independent body made up of scientists and clinical experts who advise the Government on prioritisation of vaccines at a population level. For phase one, the JCVI has prioritised nine priority groups primarily based on age and clinical risk factors in order to meet the Government’s aim of continuing to reduce morbidity, mortality and to protect the National Health Service and social care system.
For phase two of the COVID 19 vaccination programme, the JCVI published its interim advice on 26 February, setting out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age, rather than by occupation. Age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations and because the speed of delivery is crucial as we provide more people with protection from COVID-19. If internet and phone engineers and other key workers who need to enter residential premises to carry out their work are captured in phase one due to age or clinical need, then they will be vaccinated accordingly. However, there are currently no plans to specifically vaccinate by occupation.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether dedicated wedding venues are permitted to hold covid-secure weddings in Stage 2 of the covid-19 roadmap.
Answered by Paul Scully
At Step 2, which will be no earlier than 12 April, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are permitted for up to 15 people in COVID-19 Secure venues that are permitted to open or where a broader exemption applies.
Receptions can take place with up to 15 people in the form of a sit-down meal and in any COVID-19 Secure outdoor venue that is permitted to open. Such receptions must not take place in people’s private gardens or public outdoor spaces.