Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the benefit cap on people living in regions with high housing costs outside of Greater London; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) aligning the benefit cap with Local Housing Allowance rates and (b) exempting housing-related benefits from a benefits cap set at a lower rate.

Answered by Jo Churchill

No assessment has been made and there are no current plans to change the policy.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to increase domestic steel production to levels that would make the UK self-sufficient.

Answered by Alan Mak - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The Government recognises the importance of steelmaking in the UK. However, there are many types of steel products needed by consumers, and it is not always economically viable for any nation to be wholly self-sufficient. This means that the UK imports certain types of steel and also exports certain steel product to other countries.

We have taken action to enable a competitive landscape and level playing field, including reducing energy costs through the British Industry Supercharger, access to energy efficiency and decarbonisation funding, and remedies against unfair trading practices, while balancing the need to remain a fair and open market.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has plans to distinguish between (a) studio and (b) one bedroom apartments in Local Housing Allowance rates.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

A one-bedroom rate for the calculation of Local Housing Allowance is defined as accommodation where the tenant has the exclusive use of only one bedroom and exclusive use of a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and a room suitable for living in. This includes studio apartments. There are no plans to change this definition.

Housing support is calculated according to the number of bedrooms a person needs based on the size of their household.

The maximum housing costs support is the lower of the actual rent and service charges or the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many chapters of a prospective free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council have been concluded.

Answered by Greg Hands

Six rounds of negotiations have been successfully concluded as part of negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages with the GCC at both Chief Negotiator and ministerial level and is making good progress on agreeing chapters including in areas such as Customs, Technical Barriers to Trade and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The department cannot comment any further as negotiations are ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Competition and Market Authority investigation into the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three Mobile.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK’s independent competition regulator and its merger investigations are independent of Government.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Millions to take home more cash as new guidance on Tipping is published, published on 22 April 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delaying the implementation of the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 to 1 October 2024.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act will require employers to pass all tips on to workers, without deductions. The implementation date for the Act, and the accompanying statutory Code of Practice, was revised from 1st July to 1st October to ensure sufficient time for those affected by the changes to prepare.

The impacts of the new requirements were considered in the impact assessment for the Act: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197/publications.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of a four-day working week on gender equality.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The government routinely considers the implications of evidence from a range of sources when assessing policies on working practices. The government has no plans to implement a four-day week but has recently introduced the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023.

The Act makes changes to the right to request flexible working to better support employers and employees to agree flexible working arrangements that work for everyone.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of alkaline hydrolysis as an alternative to cremation on the UK's ability to achieve its energy security and net zero emissions targets.

Answered by Mike Freer

The Government currently has no plans to make such an assessment.

At present, burial and cremation are the only regulated funerary methods in England and Wales. However, we are aware of the growing interest in alternative funerary methods. The Law Commission are considering, as part of its Burial, Cremation and New Funerary Methods project, the disposal of human remains. This work will consider the creation of a regulatory framework for safe and dignified new funerary methods.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to prevent public contracts being awarded to companies that blacklist workers.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 contain exclusion grounds which allow contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from procurements where their tender does not comply with labour law or where the supplier is guilty of grave professional misconduct.

For example, a breach of the The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010, which prohibit the compilation, usage, sale or supply of blacklists of trade union members and activists, would render the supplier liable to potential exclusion.

In all cases, individual departments and other public sector bodies are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.

The Procurement Act, which is expected to go live in October 2024, builds on and clarifies the exclusions measures in the existing regime. This includes specific measures enabling the exclusion of suppliers for professional misconduct.

Farewell to Jurgen Klopp

Essentials guarantee and minimum income guarantee

International Court of Justice Ruling on Gaza and the UK’s duties under the Genocide Convention

Public ownership of water

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Found: Lloyd Russell-Moyle, you have just a minute to bat back and forward.

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