Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Gov.uk page Coronavirus (COVID-19): Organised events guidance for local authorities, what the basis is for the decision to prohibit the attendance of spectators at grassroots and amateur sports games during Step 2 of the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sports and physical activity are crucial for our mental and physical health.
On Monday 22 February, the Prime Minister announced a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. The government has introduced a step approach to the return of outdoor and indoor sport areas across England.
Outdoor grassroots sport and outdoor organised team and sports participation events have been allowed to resume from Step 1b (29 March), but spectators are not permitted at sporting events taking place on private land at Step 1b, with the exception of adults only where they are needed to supervise under-18s that they have a responsibility for or providing care or assistance to a person with disabilities participating in an organised sporting event or activity. These adults should maintain social distance and not mix with other households.
This does not prevent people from viewing recreational or organised sport that is taking place in a public space (e.g. a park) at Step 1b or Step 2 (12 April), in groups of up to 6 people or 2 households. However, sporting events that are intended to attract spectators (including ticketed events), or events that are likely to attract a significant number of spectators (e.g. a major marathon), should not take place in a public space, or on private land, until Step 3 (no earlier than 17 May).
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made towards ensuring that persons needing care should not be forced to sell their home to pay for it.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to bringing forward a proposal for social care this year to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and to find long term solutions for one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. The reform of social care and its funding arrangements are complex areas and a range of options are being considered.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that Post Offices (a) have the capacity to achieve and (b) are achieving the timely processing of covid-19 vaccination letters.
Answered by Paul Scully
As the UK’s designated postal operator, Royal Mail is responsible for the last mile delivery of NHS vaccination letters. The Government is working closely with Royal Mail to ensure that these letters are prioritised. As a private company, Royal Mail is responsible for its day-to-day operations.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether on-course bookmakers are eligible for Additional Restrictions Grant funding; and whether guidance on eligibility requirements has been provided to local authorities.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor announced on 5 January another £4.5 billion in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs. This includes one-off top up grants to be delivered by local authorities for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, worth up to £9,000 per property, to help them through to the spring. A £594 million discretionary fund has also been made available to support other impacted businesses. Local authorities will receive the funding for these one-off grants next week, and we encourage them to make payments to businesses as soon as possible.
All local authorities in England will receive a top-up worth a total of £500m to their allocation from the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), which has already provided local authorities with £1.1 billion. This funding will ensure that local authorities can make discretionary grants to businesses which are not eligible for the LRSG (Closed) but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business due to the national lockdown.
Eligibility for the one-off grants, as well as the existing LRSG (Closed) grants, is automatic. Businesses should contact their local authorities for more information on how to receive these grants, and in some cases they will need to provide additional information to their LAs.
Local authorities will run application schemes for the ARG, including for the £500m top-up, and will have significant discretion when it comes to deciding which businesses receive payments. Businesses should contact their local authorities for more information.
ARG guidance for LAs was first published on 3rd November 2019 and is updated regularly: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-restrictions-support-grants-lrsg-and-additional-restrictions-grant-arg-guidance-for-local-authorities
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is available to (a) on-course bookmakers and (b) other businesses that are unable to work as a result of restrictions on sporting events but have not been ordered to close during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor announced on 5 January another £4.5 billion in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs. This includes one-off top up grants to be delivered by local authorities for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, worth up to £9,000 per property, to help them through to the spring. A £594 million discretionary fund has also been made available to support other impacted businesses. Local authorities will receive the funding for these one-off grants next week, and we encourage them to make payments to businesses as soon as possible.
All local authorities in England will receive a top-up worth a total of £500m to their allocation from the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), which has already provided local authorities with £1.1 billion. This funding will ensure that local authorities can make discretionary grants to businesses which are not eligible for the LRSG (Closed) but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business due to the national lockdown.
Eligibility for the one-off grants, as well as the existing LRSG (Closed) grants, is automatic. Businesses should contact their local authorities for more information on how to receive these grants, and in some cases they will need to provide additional information to their LAs.
Local authorities will run application schemes for the ARG, including for the £500m top-up, and will have significant discretion when it comes to deciding which businesses receive payments. Businesses should contact their local authorities for more information.
ARG guidance for LAs was first published on 3rd November 2019 and is updated regularly: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-restrictions-support-grants-lrsg-and-additional-restrictions-grant-arg-guidance-for-local-authorities
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning for the Future White Paper, what steps he is taking to secure broad public engagement at the planning application stage of the proposed new planning system.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The planning reforms set out in the Planning for the Future White Paper will make it simpler, quicker and more accessible for local people to engage with the planning system. The best way to bring forward new, significant development is by improving community engagement and input at an earlier stage in the planning process. At the plan making stage, people will have the opportunity to comment on local plans and deciding where proposed development should go. This will give certainty to local communities that development will be in the areas best identified for growth. There will still be the opportunity for people to comment on planning applications where these are still required.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court proceedings initiated by police forces in England and Wales have been unsuccessful on the grounds that notice of intended prosecution arrived after the 14 day period from the alleged offence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold data centrally on the number of court proceedings initiated by police forces in England and Wales that have been unsuccessful on the grounds that the notice of intended prosecution arrived after the 14-day period from the alleged offence.
HMCTS holds data with regards to the:
a) number of cases acquitted after trial;
b) number of cases dismissed as a result of no evidence being offered; and
c) number of cases withdrawn.
When cases are listed and a subsequent issue with the notice of intended prosecution is identified the case is discontinued.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals in the Planning for the future consultation, published 6 August 2020, on access by communities to green space which is (a) undesignated and (b) part of a growth zone.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Planning for the Future proposes significant changes to the focus and processes of planning – to secure better outcomes including improving our precious countryside and environment alongside increasing the supply of land for new, beautiful homes and sustainable places. One key proposal is that local plans place all land into one of three categories: areas for Growth, Renewal or Protection. The consultation proposal is clear that Green Belt and valued green space, which need not necessarily be a designated area, would be included in areas for Protection.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that planning policies and decisions should not only protect and enhance the natural environment but should secure net gains for biodiversity, including wildlife habitat, woods and ecological networks, and recognise the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. The reforms we are proposing are designed to support the continuing implementation of this policy by local authorities, in line with our 25 Year Environment Plan and provisions in the Environment Bill.
We also propose to transform how communities engage with plan-making, using new digital tools to make it easier for many more people to understand, engage with and influence development policies and proposals.
After carefully considering all the responses to Planning for the Future, the Government will publish its conclusions.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the launch of the Youth Investment Fund.
Answered by John Whittingdale
DCMS officials are working at pace on plans for the Youth Investment Fund, and continue to assess how COVID-19 is impacting on young people and youth services. We continue to engage with the youth sector as plans develop, and will publish further details in due course.
Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the launch of the Security Training Fund.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Home Office has listened to the security concerns of our faith communities, including through the recent public consultation on faith security. We recognise that protective security must be tailored to support the specific requirements of faith communities. The Home Office is currently developing a security training package, which will be suitable for all faiths. This will ensure that our commitment of 19 March 2019 to deliver this training within three years is met. Security advice for places of worship is currently available for free from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office on GOV.UK.