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, with reference to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 186930 on Developing Countries: Debts Written Off, what progress his Department has made on introducing debt relief measures for developing countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has provided over £2 billion in debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and continues to provide roughly £190 million a year to compensate the Multilateral Development Banks for forgone debt repayments. In response to the COVID pandemic, the UK supported the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and suspended UK debt repayment from April 2020 to December 2021. Collectively $12.9 billion of repayments were suspended from almost 50 countries. Additionally, the UK provided £150 million towards IMF debt repayment relief through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.
The UK plays a leadership role in international discussions on developing country debt which we monitor closely with His Majesties Treasury. As set out in the White Paper on International Development, published last November - through our membership of the Paris Club, G20, and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable we are pushing for improvements to the global debt architecture and using our position in official creditor committees to help return countries to debt sustainability where necessary.
The UK is also leading contractual debt innovations, notably Climate Resilient Debt Clauses (CRDCs) that pause debt repayments when a natural disaster hits. UK Export Finance (UKEF) was the first export credit agency globally to offer these, and the Government is pressing for all creditors to offer these in loans - most recently co-hosting a workshop on CRDCs at COP28 and securing several Multilateral Development Banks and other countries to offer these.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that every person with diabetes has access to medical technology that helps them manage their condition.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Standard care for type 1 diabetes involves regularly measuring blood glucose levels by self-monitoring, blood testing, or by using a continuous glucose monitor, real-time or intermittently scanned.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed that 20% of people with type 1 diabetes would benefit from life changing flash glucose monitors. Data to quarter three of 2022/23 shows that 73% of people with type 1 diabetes were prescribed flash glucose monitoring, against the 20% target.
In March 2023 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended that insulin dependent patients with type 2 diabetes should also benefit from flash or continuous glucose monitoring devices. We are now starting to see a growth in prescribing within the type 2 diabetes patient group.
On 19 December 2023 the NICE published its final recommendation on the hybrid closed loop system. The NICE has agreed with NHS England that all children and young people, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, and those people who already have an insulin pump will be the first to be offered a hybrid closed loop system, as part of a five-year roll-out plan. Access to hybrid closed loop systems will be through a five-year phased roll out, in line with NHS England’s implementation plans.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications to delay migration from tax credits to universal credit have been granted in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The following table provides information on the number of extension requests granted. The data relating to the proportion of people who requested an extension and then were granted an extension cannot be provided because it is not held centrally.
Tax Credit claimants | ||
| Migration Notices sent to individuals | of which, extension to Migration Notice period granted |
Month Migration Notice sent |
| |
Jan-23 | 520 | 10 |
Feb-23 | 960 | 10 |
Mar-23 | 1,000 | 10 |
Apr-23 | 4,950 | 60 |
May-23 | 12,880 | 170 |
Jun-23 | 23,180 | 250 |
Jul-23 | 26,970 | 220 |
Aug-23 | 44,500 | 380 |
Sep-23 | 39,410 | 100 |
Notes:
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10
‘..’ indicates nil or negligible
Migration notices are included only until the end of September to allow households to have reached their deadline, in line with published official statistics to December 2023
Source: Move to Universal Credit operation system
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, what progress her Department has made on launching a call for evidence to support an increase in gas storage in the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As per the Energy Security Plan Update, published on 6th December 2023, the Government will launch a call for evidence in the coming months. This will set out the findings from the current analysis and seek evidence on the different forms of flexibility and their role in the broader gas system, to support the work to meet decarbonisation and net zero ambitions.
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 is taking steps to support the refinery sector to invest in decarbonisation.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All UK refineries are eligible for a range of Government schemes aimed at supporting the development of low carbon solutions in the sector.
For example, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund supports industrial sites including those in the refinery sector with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future. The Department manages the IETF for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while the Scottish Government administers the SIETF. The two schemes have an allocation of over £500m of investment by 2028.
The spring window of Phase 3 of the IETF is open for applications now.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of administering Child Benefit as a working age benefit via the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not have plans to administer Child Benefit as a working age benefit via the Department for Work and Pensions.
Administering Child Benefit as a joint claim per household could mean finding out the incomes and relationships of all Child Benefit claimants. This would pose administrative burdens on households, who do not currently need to provide this information to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and on HMRC.
As with all Government policy, Child Benefit is kept under regular review.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of administering Child Benefit as a joint claim per household.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not have plans to administer Child Benefit as a working age benefit via the Department for Work and Pensions.
Administering Child Benefit as a joint claim per household could mean finding out the incomes and relationships of all Child Benefit claimants. This would pose administrative burdens on households, who do not currently need to provide this information to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and on HMRC.
As with all Government policy, Child Benefit is kept under regular review.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 12854 on Large Goods Vehicles, if he will publish post-trial operation guidance for hauliers not included in the trial; and how those hauliers will have to prepare for implementation of post-trial operations.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The guidance referred to in the previous answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 12854 is applicable to operators who did not take part in the trial of longer semi-trailers (LSTs), as well as to those operators who took part. Steps to be taken by operators who wish to utilise LSTs are set out in that guidance.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the trial of longer semi-trailers (LSTs) will end; how soon guidance on post trial operation for hauliers will be amended; and what timescale will be given to hauliers to allow them to prepare for implementation of post trial operations.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The trial of longer semi-trailers has closed to new entrants. This is further to regulations allowing the operation of LSTs post-trial which came into force on 31 May 2023. Guidance was published on 30 May 2023 and updated on 14 November 2023. For operators in the trial, the trial ends on 29 February 2024, having been extended from 30 November 2023. Advice continues to be available for hauliers on the trial preparing to implement post-trial operations.
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 he has made of the implications for his policies of the memorandum from the Action Committee Condemning the Batang Kali Massacre, presented on 12 December 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are reviewing the memorandum from the Batang Kali Action Committee and will respond to the Committee in due course.