Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) male and (b) female former civil servants have applied for reinstatement after taking time off for caring responsibilities in the last five years.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The information requested is not held by the Government Recruitment Service (GRS). Reinstatements are managed by each individual Department who will hold their own data rather than centrally by GRS.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) violence and abuse against shopworkers and (b) shoplifting.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.
However, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months to September 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 34% in the year ending September 2023, showing that police are taking action.
The Government is clear that violent and abusive behaviour towards any worker, particularly those who provide a valuable service to the public, is never acceptable. We have recently made significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting and violence and abuse against retail workers.
In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.
This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
October also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help forces crack down on serious offenders.
In 2022, we took the significant step to introduce a statutory aggravating factor for assault against those who are serving the public. Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 means the public facing nature of a victim’s role will be considered an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing for assault offences, allowing the court to give a longer sentence within the statutory maximum for the offence.
We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the universal service obligation to five-days-a-week on publishers with magazine subscription models.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the designated independent regulator of postal services, is responsible for ensuring the provision of a universal postal service that meets users’ needs. I note Ofcom’s recently published discussion document setting out potential options to reform the service, reflecting changing market conditions and consumers’ needs. All those with an interest in postal services may submit responses to Ofcom’s call for inputs (www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/the-future-of-the-universal-postal-service).
The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the current obligations on postal deliveries.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the support offered by HMRC to self-assessment customers who have been victims of scams by people impersonating HMRC.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The HMRC Customer Protection Team is responsible for reporting known cases, requesting removal of suspicious websites, and raising awareness among the general public of how to identify scams and avoid becoming victims of fraud. HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations into the most serious fraud and wrongdoing. FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to tackling the most serious tax evasion and fraud.
HMRC encourages customers to report scams through reporting mechanisms directly to HMRC or through Action Fraud.
The channels through which suspicious activity can be reported to HMRC are:
Suspicious emails – phishing@hmrc.gov.uk
Suspicious text – 60599
Suspicious phone calls – Report suspicious HMRC emails, text messages and phone calls - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of woody biomass as feedstock for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage on (a) global land use and (b) the availability of land for growing crops.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To ensure that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) delivers genuine negative emissions, Government will require that only sustainable biomass is used. The 2023 Biomass Strategy included an assessment of sustainable biomass availability to the UK (including woody biomass), to support the UK’s net zero target. The availability of sustainable woody biomass was estimated using updated modelling which included considerations of global land use to exclude unsustainable changes, as well as accounting for wider land use pressures such as food security and biodiversity.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will update her Department’s greenhouse gas removals business model to include (a) enhanced rock weathering and (b) other technologies that do not use carbon capture and storage.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the potential role of greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies that do not require carbon capture and storage (CCS) in meeting net zero, including enhanced rock weathering, though specific technical and regulatory barriers must be addressed before any decisions can be made on their eligibility for the GGR business model. As set out in the government response to the GGR business model consultation, published in June 2023, this includes the need for further evidence on permanence, reversibility, and environmental impacts associated with these methods.
The Government is working closely with academics, industry, and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) GGR Demonstrator projects to investigate the feasibility of scaling non-CCS GGR technologies in future.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HMRC processes for (a) identifying and (b) tackling fraudulent self-assessment repayment claims.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Repayments are a feature of Income Tax Self-Assessment regime and can be generated for many reasons. HMRC continuously monitors its tax repayment systems to prevent criminal attacks on the tax system, fraud; and mitigate the risk of error and non-compliance.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its Hate Speech and Disinformation programme in Pakistan in (a) tackling hate speech and (b) helping to hold perpetrators of hate speech to account in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme (2022-25) works to provide training and spearhead policy discourse on the issue of hate speech and disinformation in Pakistan. For example, the programme trains government officers to identify false and hateful narratives, including those which affect women and religious minorities. The programme has trained over 1000 university students on digital literacy. The programme funded voter education videos and supported a news show on Pakistan Television, inviting experts to discuss disinformation ahead of the Pakistani elections. Holding perpetrators of hate speech to account is a matter for the Pakistani Authorities and Judiciary System.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Pakistan judiciary in protecting persecuted minorities.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not comment or interfere with judicial processes in Pakistan. They are a matter for the Pakistan judicial system. However, the UK does regularly engage with the Government of Pakistan to advance key priorities and interests, including on human rights and the rule of law. The former Foreign Secretary met the caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-Ul-Haq Kakar, on the 23rd September, where he raised the importance of protecting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, condemned the violence and discrimination faced by religious minorities in his meeting with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the judiciary in Pakistan in supporting UK funded programmes in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not comment or interfere with judicial processes in Pakistan, they are a matter for the Pakistan judicial system. Pakistan's judiciary is not a partner in any UK funded programmes in Pakistan.