Margaret Hodge Portrait

Margaret Hodge

Labour - Barking

First elected: 9th June 1994


Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill
1st Feb 2023 - 8th Feb 2023
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill
19th Oct 2022 - 29th Nov 2022
Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion
15th Nov 2016 - 6th Nov 2019
Public Accounts Commission
12th Jul 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Public Accounts Committee
10th Jun 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Liaison Committee (Commons)
19th Jul 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Shadow Minister (Culture and Tourism)
12th May 2010 - 10th Jun 2010
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) (Culture and Tourism)
22nd Sep 2009 - 6th May 2010
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) (Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism)
29th Jun 2007 - 5th Oct 2008
Minister of State (Industry and the Regions)
5th May 2006 - 28th Jun 2007
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions) (Work)
10th May 2005 - 5th May 2006
Minister of State (Education and Skills) (Children)
13th Jun 2003 - 10th May 2005
Minister of State (Education and Skills) (Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education)
11th Jun 2001 - 13th Jun 2003
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education and Employment) (Employment and Equal Opportunities)
28th Jul 1998 - 10th Jun 2001
Liaison Committee (Commons)
14th Jul 1997 - 16th Nov 1998
Employment Sub-committee
23rd Jul 1997 - 9th Nov 1998
Education & Employment
15th Nov 1995 - 9th Nov 1998
Education Sub-committee
15th Nov 1995 - 9th Nov 1998
Education & Employment
21st Mar 1997 - 9th Nov 1998
Education Sub-committee
23rd Jul 1997 - 9th Nov 1998
Deregulation
26th Feb 1996 - 21st Mar 1997


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Margaret Hodge has voted in 530 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

13 Sep 2023 - Procurement Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Margaret Hodge voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 1 Labour Aye votes vs 150 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 274 Noes - 194
View All Margaret Hodge Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative)
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(138 debate interactions)
Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op))
Shadow Minister (Education)
(31 debate interactions)
Stephen Kinnock (Labour)
Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Immigration)
(28 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Home Office
(55 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(32 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Online Safety Act 2023
(4,324 words contributed)
Finance Act 2022
(2,649 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Margaret Hodge's debates

Barking Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Margaret Hodge has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Margaret Hodge

23rd February 2024
Margaret Hodge signed this EDM as a sponsor on Friday 23rd February 2024

Sanctions against Russia

Tabled by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
This House notes that it has been two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and welcomes the existing sanctions against Russia, including those in relation to the sale of oil; further notes that, under the existing sanctions regime, the legal country-of-origin for a refined oil product, namely diesel, jet …
15 signatures
(Most recent: 13 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 6
Scottish National Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Green Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
22nd November 2023
Margaret Hodge signed this EDM on Thursday 18th January 2024

Cost of applying for indefinite leave under the bereaved partner concession

Tabled by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
That this House supports the Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London’s call for a fee waiver to be introduced for grieving widows applying for indefinite leave to remain under the bereaved partner concession; notes that the death of a loved one brings multiple emotional, practical and financial costs; …
55 signatures
(Most recent: 1 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 21
Labour: 20
Liberal Democrat: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
Alliance: 1
Green Party: 1
View All Margaret Hodge's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Margaret Hodge, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.



Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions for criminal financial sanctions breaches the Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted in each of the last three years.

The CPS does not record or hold the requested data centrally on prosecutions for criminal financial sanctions breaches. The information could only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Attorney General, how many referrals the Crown Prosecution Service has received from the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit for charging decisions for each year in the last five years.

The CPS is committed to tackling economic crime, including where these crimes span multiple jurisdictions. The CPS works closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and other investigative agencies; this includes providing early investigative advice on cases, obtaining evidence from overseas using mutual legal assistance and proving support through its network of prosecutors deployed overseas.

The CPS does not breakdown referrals by individual departments within the NCA. The following data is available which shows the number of cases received by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division from the National Crime Agency for pre-charge decisions.

Pre-charge decision receipts

2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
112620642

The following shows number of cases where charging decisions have been reached.

Pre-charge decision finalisations

2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
02264234

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Attorney General, how many cases referred by the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit the Crown Prosecution Service has reached charging decisions on for each year in the last five years.

The CPS is committed to tackling economic crime, including where these crimes span multiple jurisdictions. The CPS works closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and other investigative agencies; this includes providing early investigative advice on cases, obtaining evidence from overseas using mutual legal assistance and proving support through its network of prosecutors deployed overseas.

The CPS does not breakdown referrals by individual departments within the NCA. The following data is available which shows the number of cases received by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division from the National Crime Agency for pre-charge decisions.

Pre-charge decision receipts

2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
112620642

The following shows number of cases where charging decisions have been reached.

Pre-charge decision finalisations

2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
02264234

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
14th Jun 2022
To ask the Minister of the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister intends to appoint a new anti-corruption champion.

The Government is committed to driving progress on our anti-corruption strategy, as well as stepping up efforts to tackle corruption both domestically and overseas. My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for East Hampshire is the lead Minister on tackling fraud, corruption and illicit finance.

Details of any future appointments will be set out in the usual way.

12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the Twelfth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill on Tuesday 15 November 2022, Official Report, column 397, whether she has made a recent assessment of the prevalence of limited partnerships (LP) owning assets in the context of reports of LPs owning oil tankers and other vessels.

My Department and Companies House closely monitor reports of potential misuse of corporate structures registered in the UK.

The Government is well aware of the risks around misuse of limited partnerships, which is why we acted through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 to introduce the biggest changes to limited partnership law since 1907. The reforms will crack down on the abuse of all UK limited partnerships, including requiring much more information on the partners and greater controls over their formation.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the Twelfth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill on Tuesday 15 November 2022, Official Report, column 397, whether she has made an assessment of the prevalence of nominee partners being used to hide the person with significant influence or control over limited partnerships in the context of recent reports on that subject.

The Government is aware that limited partnerships are being misused by rogue actors. This is why we legislated for reform of the law governing limited partnerships via the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Under these reforms, much more information will be required on the partners of all limited partnerships, leading to greater transparency. Companies House will also have greater powers to challenge, reject, share and remove suspicious information relating to limited partnerships.

In addition, the new Companies House intelligence hub will use data science to identify patterns and crack down on those trying to dodge the new requirements.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, (b) Scottish Limited Partnerships and (c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were incorporated in each of the last ten years.

(a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

England and Wales

Northern Ireland

2023

620

43

2022

854

57

2021

708

32

2020

814

40

2019

752

63

2018

1415

349

2017

645

73

2016

742

96

2015

597

64

2014

526

1

(b) Scottish Limited Partnerships

2023

630

2022

729

2021

591

2020

657

2019

751

2018

2,689

2017

4,932

2016

5,706

2015

3,884

2014

3,499

(c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland

England and Wales

Northern Ireland

2023

4,901

26

2022

5,102

42

2021

5,338

48

2020

4,618

47

2019

4,935

62

2018

5,062

89

2017

8,663

72

2016

8,025

68

2015

6,789

130

2014

8,472

148

The year in the table provided refers to the financial year ending year, i.e. 2023 means 2022-23 Financial Year.

The data in the tables comes from the annual official statistics publication that Companies House produces: Companies register activities: statistical release 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
28th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many refusals by Companies House to grant an application to restrict publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 were subject to (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful judicial review in each of the last three years.

There have been no judicial reviews against Companies House for refusal to grant applications to restrict personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 in the last three years.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
28th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many applications to restrict publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 Companies House were (a) received and (b) granted in each of the last three years.

The table below sets out the number of applications received to restrict the publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006

Year

Applications received

Applications granted

2021

42

10

2022

72

25

2023

95

7

There is 1 application currently pending. These figures have been manually collated. This is supplied as management information; it is unaudited and is subject to change. It should, therefore, be used for indicative purposes only.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to enforce the provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 relating to limited partnerships.

The reforms to limited partnerships in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 require new secondary legislation, guidance and system development before they can be implemented.

The government remains committed to implementing, and enforcing, the reforms as soon as possible.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take to achieve transparency over the ultimate ownership of UK land held by overseas entities where the legal owner and the beneficial owner of land are different.

HM Land Registry holds publicly accessible records of the registered proprietors of land and buildings in England and Wales. If the registered proprietor is an overseas entity, information about the company and its beneficial owners is already publicly available on the Register of Overseas Entities, held by Companies House.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 will also require Overseas Entities acting as nominees to disclose their information to Companies House.

The Government intends to launch a consultation on how to make trust information held on the Register of Overseas Entities more transparent.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, both what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to recover property titles on the Register of Overseas Entities owned by overseas entities which have been dissolved or struck off without there first being an onward sale.

The handling of overseas entities assets upon dissolution is based on the company's information and the location of the asset. If the asset is located in England or Wales, the Treasury Solicitor manages the assets. In Scotland, it's the King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer. In Northern Ireland, the Crown Solicitor's Office. Assets located in the Duchies of Cornwall or Lancaster are dealt with by their solicitors.

My Department is responsible for compliance with the transparency obligations imposed on overseas entities owning UK property under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
16th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she he will take steps to expand the person of significant control regime to English and Welsh Limited Partnerships.

There are currently no plans to expand the People with Significant Control framework to English and Welsh limited partnerships, which do not have a separate legal personality distinct from their partners.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 makes the largest reforms to the law governing limited partnerships since 1907. Under these reforms, all general partners will have to verify their identities, and much more information will be required on the partners of all limited partnerships, leading to greater transparency. Companies House will also have greater powers to challenge, reject, share and remove suspicious information relating to limited partnerships.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Investment to the debate on the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill in the House of Lords on 27 March 2023, Official Report, column 1GC, whether she plans to publish a consultation on expanding shareholder information in the Companies House register.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill includes measures to reform the role of Companies House and improve transparency over UK companies. This includes a package of measures to strengthen shareholder information requirements whilst ensuring the appropriate balance is struck to avoid imposing disproportionate burdens on business. The Government is mindful of stakeholder concerns expressed in response to the Government’s 2019 consultation. This is why the Government would first consult stakeholders about what, if any, additional information it would be proportionate to require.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the review of the whistleblowing framework announced by her Department on 27 March 2023, whether that review will consider the potential merits of establishing an independent Office of the Whistleblower.

The review will consider evidence related to the effectiveness of the whistleblowing framework in meeting its intended objectives: to enable workers to come forward to speak up about wrongdoing, and to protect those who do so against detriment and dismissal.

The full Terms of Reference for the review are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-whistleblowing-framework/review-of-the-whistleblowing-framework-terms-of-reference.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
20th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications to restrict publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 Companies House were (a) received and (b) granted, in each of the past three years.

The table below sets out the number of applications received to restrict the publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006

Year

Applications received

Applications granted

2020

38

15

2021

42

10

2022

72

25

There are 4 applications currently pending. These figures have been manually collated. This is supplied as management information; it is unaudited and is subject to change. It should, therefore, be used for indicative purposes only.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
20th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many judicial reviews against Companies House for refusal to grant applications to restrict the publication of personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each of the last three years.

There have been no judicial reviews against Companies House for refusal to grant applications to restrict personal data under section 790ZG of the Companies Act 2006 in the last three years.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an estimate of the amount of money lost to fraud from the British Business Bank’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

The latest estimates for suspected fraud and error losses in the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) can be found in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2021-2022, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department made an estimate of the level of losses to (a) fraud and (b) error through the Bounce Back Loan Scheme in May 2020.

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) was announced on 27 April 2020 and launched on 4 May 2020. BBLS was launched in extraordinary circumstances. Ministers made an explicit trade-off to ensure businessescould get the financial support they urgently needed as quickly as possible, despite the increased fraud risks this entailed.

The residual fraud risks (which were captured in a draft review prepared by PwC for the British Business Bank) were referenced in the Ministerial Direction letters published in relation to the Scheme, and the Reservation Notice published by the British Business Bank.

The Cabinet Office began an extensive BBLS fraud analytics programme in July 2020. Fraud and error estimates were given due consideration throughout these discussions.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the then-Minister of State for the Cabinet Office and the Treasury in the House of Lords on 24 January 2022, Official Report, column 20, which commercial lenders accounted for (a) 87 per cent of loans paid to companies already dissolved, (b) 81 per cent of loans paid to companies incorporated after the eligibility date and (c) 38 per cent of the duplicate Bounce Back Loan Scheme application checks that were not carried out after the requirement was enforced.

We are unable to name the lenders referenced, as doing so would be likely to prejudice their commercial interests, because the position is likely to change as we receive more data from lenders in the course of time.

Approximately £113m of ineligible loans have been identified and removed from guarantee cover, including since 24 January 2022. These include duplicate loans and those paid to companies already dissolved or incorporated after the eligibility date. Therefore, statistics on lender accountability for ineligible loans will have changed since that date.

Differences between lender data should not be viewed as absolute indicators of performance, as lenders have very different portfolios and business models.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse has been of the 100 per cent guarantee under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme for loans (a) which have been found to be fraudulent and (b) where the recipient has defaulted on that loan.

As of 31 July 2022, £263 million has been paid out to lenders against loans with a ‘suspected fraud’ flag. It is important to note that this is the figure for monies paid out in settlement so far, and does not include loans which are currently in default or claimed status but which have not been settled.

Please note that ‘suspected fraud’ will not necessarily equate to actual fraud in the scheme and the marking of a loan as ‘suspected fraud’ within the scheme portal does not necessarily mean that there has been any proven wrongdoing on the part of the borrower.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the British Business Bank has spent on legal fees to challenge freedom of information requests made by the Times newspaper and Spotlight on Corruption on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

To date, the British Business Bank has incurred a legal spend of £28,137.88 plus VAT challenging the Freedom of Information request made by Spotlight on Corruption on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, following a complaint by Spotlight on Corruption to the Information Commissioner’s Office, and subsequently an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal (after the ICO supported the Bank’s original position).

The Bank has not incurred any legal spend in relation to any Freedom of Information request made by the Times in relation to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the British Business Bank on its decision to challenge freedom of information requests made by the Times newspaper and Spotlight on Corruption on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

No Freedom of Information requests from the Times in relation to the Bounce Back Loans Scheme are subject to challenge either before the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or the First Tier Tribunal.

BEIS officials were sighted on British Business Bank written responses to the ICO in relation a complaint brought by Spotlight on Corruption on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and were also sighted on the Bank’s subsequent response to Spotlight’s appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to recover money lost to fraud from the British Business Bank’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

The delegated nature of the schemes places primary responsibility on lenders to recover money lost to fraud. Government continues to work with lenders, law enforcement, and partners to recover fraudulently obtained loans.

As of October 2022, Insolvency Service action on Covid-19 support scheme fraud has resulted in 391 director disqualifications and 119 bankruptcy restrictions, the majority relating to BBLS fraud. They have also achieved 2 criminal prosecutions. The National Investigation Service (NATIS) have a total recoveries target of £6 million this financial year and have recovered £5.8 million to date.

At the Spring Statement 2022, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced almost £50 million of additional funding for counter-fraud work, of which over half related to Bounce Back Loans.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a list of all the companies that have received support through the British Business Bank's Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Arguments regarding the possible disclosure of individual details for Bounce Back Loan scheme borrowers have now been heard at First Tier Tribunal.

The Tribunal’s decision on this issue is expected in due course and it would be inappropriate to comment further until that decision is received.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
2nd Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government’s commitment to have an operational register in place in 2021, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for the Registration of Overseas Entities Bill.

The Government remains determined to ensure there is no safe space for illicit finance or corruption in our society. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) completed a landmark review of the UK’s regime for tackling money laundering and terrorist financing in December 2018, concluding that we have some of the strongest controls in the world.

The register will be the first of its kind in the world. It is essential that the new requirements are workable, proportionate and that the register strikes the right balance between improving transparency and minimising burdens on legitimate commercial activity.

The Government is amending the draft Registration of Overseas Entities Bill in line with the recommendations of the 2019 Joint Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Committee. This will make the legislation as effective as possible in tackling the use of UK property for the purpose of money laundering.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made updating the House of Commons on its progress in May 2020, Official Report, 21 July 2020, Column HCWS413.

2nd Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2020 to Question 57275, which proposals for Companies House reform are still under consideration and not finalised.

The Government is currently considering a broad package of reforms to Companies House to ensure it is fit for the future and continues to contribute to the UK’s business environment. Last year’s consultation on Corporate Transparency and Register Reform received a significant number of responses and an official government response with detailed proposals for the way forward will be published shortly.

6th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the response to the consultation on Corporate Transparency and Register Reform that closed in August 2019.

The Government is currently considering a broad package of reforms to Companies House to ensure it is fit for the future and continues to contribute to the UK’s business environment. This would amount to the most significant reform of the UK’s company registration framework since a?companies?register was first introduced in 1844, and it is important, therefore, to take the time to get it right.

The consultation received a significant number of responses and an official government response with detailed proposals for the way forward will be published in due course.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure transparency in debt financing transactions that may potentially grant a foreign entity or individual material influence over a newspaper.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or market share is met.

Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.

For transactions involving newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises serving that audience.

Further details of the process and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 here.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has sought advice on the legal viability of issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice in relation to a debt transaction that could transfer (a) control and (b) material influence over a UK newspaper to a foreign (i) entity and (ii) individual.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or market share is met.

Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.

For transactions involving newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises serving that audience.

Further details of the process and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 here.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release of 30 October 2023 entitled New plans to promote media freedom and protect journalists, whether her Department has plans to take steps to scrutinise (a) foreign (i) entities and (ii) individuals who may seek to gain control or significant influence over UK newspapers and (b) the potential impact of that on journalistic independence.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or market share is met.

Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.

For transactions involving newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises serving that audience.

Further details of the process and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 here.

18th Aug 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will re-evaluate extending the scope of the forthcoming Online Safety Bill to include regulation of paid-for advertisements on online platforms in the context of user-generated content.

The Online Safety Bill has been designed to tackle harms that are facilitated by user-generated content. Some types of advertising will therefore be in scope of the new regulatory framework. This includes posts by influencers and posts by companies on their social media feeds.

The legislation will not cover adverts which are placed directly or indirectly through a contract between an advertiser and an advertising service. This is to ensure that the scope of the framework remains targeted.

Government plans to address harms associated with paid-for advertising holistically, via the Online Advertising Programme. We issued a call for evidence on this last year, a consultation is planned before the end of the year.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from (a) churches and (b) faith groups on the barriers to broadband access for places of worship that do not have a postcode.

We understand the importance for broadband access in places of worship to help improve connectivity for local communities, as well as practical benefits for such premises, including streaming services, security, and accepting contactless donations or administration.

The Government has been in discussion with representatives from the Church of England, in particular, regarding the issue of broadband access where places of worship do not have postcodes, or are otherwise missing from telecom provider databases. In some cases this leads to issues in identifying and providing service to such locations.

Over 31,000 premises are listed in relevant databases accessible to the Government as being used as places of worship. Of these, approximately 86% of premises used for religious purposes in Great Britain can access Superfast broadband speeds or better on fixed networks, compared to the UK average of 95%. Approximately 4% of premises used for religious purposes in Great Britain cannot access ‘decent broadband’ speeds of 10 Megabit/s on Fixed networks, compared to the UK average of 2%, largely due to their rurality. However, 4G data services are also widely available, and this reduces the number of such listed places of worship with no potential service to less than 0.2% of the total.

We are working with relevant stakeholders, including telecom operators and Ofcom, to ascertain the extent of this problem, and how many religious premises are still facing barriers. Part of this is about ensuring data used by operators is up to date and consistent with the data available to the Government. But it is also about identifying appropriate solutions, including ensuring all broadband technology solutions that are available to places of worship are considered.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of whether the Government support package for culture and arts in response to the covid-19 outbreak will cover box office losses in the event that theatres produce outdoor work or socially-distanced indoor performances.

On 5 July, the Government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance has been published by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for applicants to the Culture Recovery Grants application rounds, and by Arts Council England for applicants to the £270 million Repayable Finance Scheme.

Further details on costs that can be supported through the package are available in the published guidance with organisations being asked to provide a plan for how funding will enable them to achieve financial viability in the way that is appropriate for their organisation.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government's package of support for the arts in response to the covid-19 outbreak will support theatres to continue undertaking community outreach and education work.

On 5 July, the Government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance has been published by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for applicants to the Culture Recovery Grants application rounds, and by Arts Council England for applicants to the £270 million Repayable Finance Scheme.

Further details on costs that can be supported through the package are available in the published guidance with organisations being asked to provide a plan for how funding will enable them to achieve financial viability in the way that is appropriate for their organisation.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government support package for the arts in response to the covid-19 outbreak will provide funding for theatres to put on new productions.

On 5 July, the Government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance has been published by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for applicants to the Culture Recovery Grants application rounds, and by Arts Council England for applicants to the £270 million Repayable Finance Scheme.

Further details on costs that can be supported through the package are available in the published guidance with organisations being asked to provide a plan for how funding will enable them to achieve financial viability in the way that is appropriate for their organisation.

6th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, published on 22 November 2023, which organisations will receive the £7 million funding to help tackle antisemitism in schools and universities in the next three years.

Following the Autumn Statement announcement, the government is preparing to issue an invitation for interested organisations to tender, to tackle anti-semitism in schools, colleges, and universities. The department encourages all interested organisations to consider submitting a bid in response to the invitation to tender.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
7th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) children's services budget for social care and (b) population was of (i) the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, (ii) Birmingham City Council, (iii) Blackpool Council, (iv) Blackburn with Darwen Council, (v) the City of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council (vi) the London Borough of Hackney, (vii) Hartlepool Borough Council, (viii) the London Borough of Islington, (ix) Knowsley Council, (x) Hull City Council, (xi) Liverpool City Council, (xii) Leicester City Council, (xiii) Manchester City Council, (xiv) Middlesbrough Borough Council, (xv) Newham London Borough Council, (xvi) Nottingham City Council, (xvii) Oldham Council, (xviii) Rochdale Borough Council, (xix) Salford City Council, (xx) Sandwell Council, (xxi) South Tyneside Council, (xxii) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (xxiii) Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, (xxiv) Tower Hamlets London Borough Council and (xxv) the City of Wolverhampton Council in (A) 2018-19, (B) 2019-20, (C) 2020-21, (D) 2021-22 and (E) 2022-23.

Information on the budget for children’s social care by individual local authorities is collected as part of the Section 251 Budget return. Information is then published in the statistical publication, ‘Planned LA and School Finance’, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/planned-la-and-school-expenditure.

The total budget for children’s social care for the years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23 for each local authority is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/64266413-c584-419c-9d84-08db63516a24.

Section 251 Budget was not collected for 2020/21 in order to reduce burdens on local authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information on populations is available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
12th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the affordability of childcare provision in Barking constituency.

The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support they are entitled to.

The department collects data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level.

The latest data shows the average hourly fee for childcare in Barking and Dagenham to be £6.00 for two-year-old children and £5.50 for three and four-year-old children.

12th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment on the number of breakfast clubs open in Barking constituency.

The department is committed to continuing support for school breakfast clubs, and we are investing up to £24 million to continue our national programme until the end of the summer term in 2023. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.

Schools are eligible for the programme if they have 40% or more pupils within bands A-F of the IDACI scale, a nationally recognised indicator of need.

The enrolment process is still underway for schools that wish to sign up to the programme. As of May 2022, over 2,000 schools had signed up. The department does not hold data on school eligibility and food orders at a constituency level, and there are currently no plans to undertake an assessment per local authority. We will continue to work with our supplier, Family Action, to monitor the data on a national level and consider suitable opportunities to share more information on the programme in due course.

12th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of in-work poverty on educational attainment in children.

The department considers the attainment of disadvantaged pupils relative to non-disadvantaged pupils using the disadvantage gap index.

The disadvantage gap index is a measure of the difference in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and all other pupils. It considers disadvantaged pupils as any pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in the last six years, looked-after children, and previously looked-after children.

In England, key stage 2 and key stage 4 (KS4) data is analysed to show the disadvantage gap. Latest key stage 2 data shows that the primary school attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has grown between 2019 and 2022, having narrowed over the previous 8 years. Latest KS4 data shows that the disadvantage gap index has widened since 2021 to 3.84, the highest level since 2011/12. The disruption to the nation’s children and young people caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected disadvantaged students more than their peers.

The department is committed to helping these pupils to recover and close the attainment gap. That is why our recovery programmes, such as the recovery premium, the National Tutoring Programme, and 16-19 tuition fund, are especially focused on helping the most disadvantaged.

In addition to this, the pupil premium has increased to more than £2.6 billion this year, with per pupil funding rates increasing by 2.7%. This is the highest ever in cash terms.

10th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2022 to Question 45171 on Poverty: Children, how the Plan for Jobs will help support the families in poverty who are already in work in Barking constituency.

The Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes. We will spend over £242bn through the welfare system in 2022/23 including £108bn on people of working age.

To support parents to progress in work, we are extending the support jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. This new in-work progression offer started to roll-out from April 2022. Once fully rolled out, we estimate that around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support. This will be provided by work coaches and focus on removing barriers to progression such as support with childcare or addressing skills gaps. This new progression offer is in addition to a change the government made last month to the Administrative Earnings Threshold in Universal Credit. By raising the threshold on 26th September 2022, approximately 114,000 more UC claimants on the lowest incomes will benefit from regular work coach support. The Chancellor announced that we would go further and raise the threshold again from January 2023 to expand this support to approximately 120,000 more people.

As mentioned in our previous response, this is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour and giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 a year (on average) through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances

To further support parents to move into and progress in work, eligible UC claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to a maximum of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. This is on top of the free childcare offer in England which provides 15 hours a week of free childcare for all 3- and 4-year-olds and disadvantaged 2-year-olds, doubling for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds to 30 hours a week.

Around 1.9 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal, saving families around £450 per year. In addition, around 1.25 million more infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime as well as over 90,000 disadvantaged further education students. We are also investing £200 million a year to continue the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which benefitted over 600,000 children last summer, and we have increased the value of the Healthy Start Scheme by a third to £4.25 a week.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to (a) create measures that target families with children in poverty and (b) reassess universal credit deductions that affect children living in poverty.

No specific assessment has been made relating to Barking constituency. However, the latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2021

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  While we keep all our policies under continuous review, our clear priority with 1.27 million vacancies across the UK is to support parents to move into and to progress in work wherever possible. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. In 2020/21, there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.

To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs continues to provide broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for extended support through our Jobcentres to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour, giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 a year (on average) through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances; and the Universal Credit childcare offer which allows working parents to claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month (up to a maximum cap).

In recent years, we have helped hundreds of thousands of Universal Credit claimants to keep more of their benefit income by reducing the standard deductions cap from 40% to 30% of the Standard Allowance in October 2019, and again, to 25% in April 2021. From 1st April 2022, a temporary change also means that for 12 months, only benefit claimants themselves can ask DWP to pay their energy bills (on going consumption) directly from their benefit or alter an existing arrangement. This ensures claimants are fully empowered to make decisions about how significant amounts of their benefit are spent.

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

This includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022, at least a third (£140m) will be spent on families with children. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council has been allocated £2,162,051.52.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its policies in tackling child poverty in Barking constituency.

No specific assessment has been made relating to Barking constituency. However, the latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2021

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  While we keep all our policies under continuous review, our clear priority with 1.27 million vacancies across the UK is to support parents to move into and to progress in work wherever possible. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. In 2020/21, there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.

To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs continues to provide broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for extended support through our Jobcentres to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour, giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 a year (on average) through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances; and the Universal Credit childcare offer which allows working parents to claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month (up to a maximum cap).

In recent years, we have helped hundreds of thousands of Universal Credit claimants to keep more of their benefit income by reducing the standard deductions cap from 40% to 30% of the Standard Allowance in October 2019, and again, to 25% in April 2021. From 1st April 2022, a temporary change also means that for 12 months, only benefit claimants themselves can ask DWP to pay their energy bills (on going consumption) directly from their benefit or alter an existing arrangement. This ensures claimants are fully empowered to make decisions about how significant amounts of their benefit are spent.

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

This includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022, at least a third (£140m) will be spent on families with children. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council has been allocated £2,162,051.52.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tackle child poverty in Barking constituency.

No specific assessment has been made relating to Barking constituency. However, the latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2021

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  While we keep all our policies under continuous review, our clear priority with 1.27 million vacancies across the UK is to support parents to move into and to progress in work wherever possible. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. In 2020/21, there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.

To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs continues to provide broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for extended support through our Jobcentres to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour, giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 a year (on average) through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances; and the Universal Credit childcare offer which allows working parents to claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month (up to a maximum cap).

In recent years, we have helped hundreds of thousands of Universal Credit claimants to keep more of their benefit income by reducing the standard deductions cap from 40% to 30% of the Standard Allowance in October 2019, and again, to 25% in April 2021. From 1st April 2022, a temporary change also means that for 12 months, only benefit claimants themselves can ask DWP to pay their energy bills (on going consumption) directly from their benefit or alter an existing arrangement. This ensures claimants are fully empowered to make decisions about how significant amounts of their benefit are spent.

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

This includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022, at least a third (£140m) will be spent on families with children. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council has been allocated £2,162,051.52.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department takes to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate mergers between health trusts.

National Health Service trusts or foundation trusts undertaking a merger go through appropriate due process, which includes assurance from NHS England that the transaction provides material improvements in performance and real patient benefits before Secretary of State approval.

We are not aware of any proposed merger between Barts Health and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. In 2021, the two trusts began to engage local stakeholders about developing deeper collaboration. They are now working closely together as part of an acute provider collaborative within the integrated care system of NHS NorthEast London. The trusts remain separate statutory bodies accountable to NHS England and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)