Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the minimum floor cap for self-employed individuals receiving universal credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Minimum Income Floor (MIF) encourages self-employed customers to progress in work and grow their earnings to a sustainable level.
The Government has committed to reviewing Universal Credit to ensure it is supporting the Government’s objectives to make work pay and tackle poverty.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to make government digital services accessible to people in rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The new digital centre exists to enable Departments to deliver digital public services that work for everyone. GDS guide, monitor and assure all digital public services, incentivising departments to provide support for service users with low digital skills or limited access to the web.
Through Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network, we are continuing to deliver broadband and mobile connectivity to hard-to-reach areas with limited or low coverage.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with NATO allies on strengthening European security.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We regularly engage with NATO and our Allies on strengthening Euro-Atlantic security. The Prime Minister met the NATO Secretary General on 3 February, underlining our unshakeable commitment to the Alliance. European Allies must take greater responsibility for our own security, spending more and producing more. That is the message the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary continue to deliver to our Allies.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve treatment for people with glioblastoma brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
One of the Secretary of State’s first acts as Minister was to meet with clinicians to discuss what more we can do to diagnose and treat patients with brain tumours including glioblastoma.In September 2024, my Department announced new funding opportunities for brain tumour research to make sure promising treatments are made available to patients.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to help support the defence sector in the (a) East of England and (b) UK.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government recognises the vital role Defence plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the United Kingdom.
The Government is committed to delivering a new Defence Industrial Strategy, working in partnership with our domestic defence industry across the UK, to support UK innovation and resilience.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to review the (a) efficiency and (b) reliability of postal voting for UK nationals living abroad during the General Election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 199 on 26 July 2024.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to enable local authorities to bring in rent controls for people in the private rented sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls. We have made clear that we intend to use the Renters’ Rights Bill to provide tenants with greater protections against unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will widen Bilateral Social Security Agreements including index-linked state pensions for UK nationals abroad with Commonwealth countries.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality.
The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one.
UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so - for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.
There are no plans to widen Bilateral Social Security Agreements to include the uprating of State Pensions paid to recipients abroad.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help (a) younger people and (b) first time buyers onto the housing ladder.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many young people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with metro mayors and local authorities on further devolution.
Answered by Angela Rayner - Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
In the first days of this Government, the Prime Minister and I met Mayors in Downing Street to discuss devolution and the critical role for mayors in delivering our Mission of Economic Growth.
Building on the last Labour Government’s legacy of the devolution in Scotland and Wales, the Prime Minister and I are determined to see devolution extended to every corner of England and I have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward.
We will continue to work with local leaders, councils, Members of Parliament and stakeholders to deepen and widen devolution across England.