7 APPG memberships (as of 1 Nov 2023)
Air Ambulances, Albania, Commercial Radio, Israel, North Macedonia, Waterways, Woods and Trees5 Former APPG memberships
Ancient Woodland and Veteran Trees, Consumer Protection, Film Industry, Montenegro, Single Parent Families11:30
What recent steps she has taken to help prepare for a future pandemic.
Save to Calendar
11:30
Whether he has had discussions with the Welsh Government on promoting and supporting narrow gauge railway tourism in Wales.
Save to Calendar
12:00
Whether he has had recent discussions with the Mayor of the West Midlands on economic growth in that region.
voted No - in line with the party majority
One of 274 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 193 Noes - 279
I note that the explanatory memorandum states that the instrument has no
“significant…impact on business, charities or voluntary bodies”
or …
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Domestic …
That this House notes the 50th Anniversary of the opening of BBC Radio Brighton in 1968 while also recognising that …
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will …
8 December 2021, received £200 from the BBC, New Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA, for participation as a …
TThat this House calls upon the Government to withdraw the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 (S.I., 2023, No. 17) …
A Bill to make provision for court orders to prohibit disruptive passengers from flying, and for connected purposes.
Division Voting information
Michael Fabricant voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 41 Conservative No votes vs 47 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 55 Noes - 52
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 45 Conservative Aye votes vs 235 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 243 Noes - 238
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 104 Conservative Aye votes vs 124 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 16 Conservative Aye votes vs 316 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 262 Noes - 323
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 15 Conservative Aye votes vs 289 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 251 Noes - 296
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 72 Conservative Aye votes vs 175 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 215 Noes - 188
Michael Fabricant voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Conservative Aye votes vs 235 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 135 Noes - 241
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
(34 debate interactions)
(24 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(54 debate contributions)
(42 debate contributions)
(29 debate contributions)
(23 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(677 words contributed)
(677 words contributed)
(157 words contributed)
(55 words contributed)
Lichfield 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).
of 50,009 signatures (0.20%)
of 71,339 signatures (0.20%)
of 64,816 signatures (0.16%)
of 608,064 signatures (0.16%)
of 275,481 signatures (0.15%)
of 608,064 signatures (0.16%)
of 275,481 signatures (0.15%)
of 102,739 signatures (0.15%)
of 249,091 signatures (0.06%)
of 106,888 signatures (0.14%)
Petition Closed
Stop work on HS2 immediately and hold a new vote to repeal the legislation
Gov Responded - 14 Jan 2021 Debated on - 13 Sep 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsclosed 2 years, 5 months ago
We ask Parliament to repeal the High Speed Rail Bills, 2016 and 2019, as MPs voted on misleading environmental, financial and timetable information provided by the Dept of Transport and HS2 Ltd. It fails to address the conditions of the Paris Accord and costs have risen from £56bn to over £100bn.
Latest EDMs signed by Michael Fabricant
Exiting the European Union (No. 2)
Tabled by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Democratic Unionist Party - Lagan Valley)TThat this House calls upon the Government to withdraw the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 (S.I., 2023, No. 17) because they are injurious to the integrity of the UK Internal Market in circumstances where the Northern Ireland Protocol has not been replaced by new arrangements that respect and protect …
(Most recent: 7 Feb 2023)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 11
Democratic Unionist Party: 8
Exiting the European Union
Tabled by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Democratic Unionist Party - Lagan Valley)That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023 (S.I., 2023, No. 17), dated 11 January 2023, a copy of which was laid before this House on 12 January 2023, be annulled.
(Most recent: 7 Feb 2023)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 12
Democratic Unionist Party: 8
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Michael Fabricant, 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.
Michael Fabricant has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Michael Fabricant has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
2 Bills introduced by Michael Fabricant
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for the periodic updating of the Ancient Woodland Inventory for England; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to allow donation of blood by all male donors on the same basis; and for connected purposes.
Wednesday 22nd October 2014
7 Bills co-sponsored by Michael Fabricant
Aviation Banning Orders (Disruptive Passengers) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Gareth Johnson (Con)
Tree-lined Streets Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Chris Clarkson (Con)
Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019
Sponsor - Geoffrey Robinson (Lab)
Legalisation of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Karen Lee (Lab)
Civil Aviation (Accessibility) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Helen Whately (Con)
Channel 4 (Relocation) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Jack Brereton (Con)
Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Diana Johnson (Lab)
138 Written Questions in the current parliament
(View all written questions)19 Other Department Questions
No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Whitehall entrance and reception hall of Richmond House will continue to be used as an access route within the building. The Commission has not made any estimate of the cost of (a) heating and (b) lighting this space in the next 12 months; data is not collected on heating and lighting costs for individual spaces within the building.
The Commission has no plans to assess the merits of constructing a new Whitehall entrance to Richmond House.
Proposals are being pursued to develop the existing entrance at Derby Gate to improve access for all users of the Northern Estate, including Richmond House.
Refurbishment works in Norman Shaw North are due to be completed by Summer 2026, occupation is currently anticipated for Autumn 2026 in collaboration with the Accommodation Whips.
At its meeting on 20 July 2020 the Commission agreed MPs and their staff could be offered office space in the former Department of Health building, Richmond House, initially for a minimum period of three years – to enable urgent refurbishment work to take place on the northern end of the Parliamentary Estate. At that meeting the Commission also agreed to look at a revised plan to use Richmond House as accommodation and to create better welfare facilities for staff.
Ministers and senior officials have raised the concerns of LGBT+ visitors with Qatari authorities at all levels, and will continue to engage on this issue during the World Cup. Qatar has repeatedly committed that "everybody is welcome" to the tournament. We will continue to encourage equal treatment and the respect of individual rights, and identify what action the Qatari authorities are taking to match their commitment.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has engaged with a wide range of international counterparts including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Malta, to understand the approaches they have taken to ban conversion therapy. We will continue to engage with counterparts around the world that are committed to protecting everyone from conversion practices to share insight and develop our approach.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has been liaising with territorial offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue.
Officials will continue to work with their counterparts across the devolved administrations to discuss the UK Government’s approach to protecting everyone in England and Wales from conversion therapy practices.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since May 2022, the Government has launched a support service open to all victims or those at risk of conversion practices regardless of their background or circumstances. The Government has committed up to £360,000 over three years to this service. The service includes a helpline, instant messaging service, and website to enable people to get the support they need.
More widely, the Government remains committed to protecting everyone from these practices. We are carefully considering the responses to the public consultation which closed earlier this year and will respond in due course.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Equality Hub Ministers and officials have met with healthcare professionals in developing the policy approach to protecting all individuals from conversion practices. Many such organisations responded to the public consultation that closed in February 2022.
We will continue to meet with healthcare professionals to inform our approach and will respond to the consultation in due course.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is working with the Parliamentary Security Department to identify Members and staff who have reported the behaviour. This includes identifying those who are able and willing to provide a signed statement which with a statutory declaration can be used for criminal justice purposes. Officers are assessing each occasion that we are aware of, taking into account behaviour; the current law; and the latest guidance on protest from case law. This has taken time. Some witnesses do not want to give statements or are unwilling to go to court; without such testimony it makes any legal action very unlikely. In addition, some behaviour does not constitute a criminal offence when viewed in isolation; without witness statements, building a persuasive case around persistent behaviour is very difficult.
The Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation (PLaIT) are considering all options once they have identified what statements can be obtained, and assessing the evidence provided against the relevant legislation. PLaIT will work in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who are the ultimate decision maker on whether to prosecute and what for. It is worth noting that hearsay evidence is inadmissible in court, therefore statements need to be gathered from the principal witness, which outline the impact and can be tested in court. Even if a police officer witnessed the event, there would still need to be a victim statement which evidences the offences and impact.
There is a long history of protest outside Parliament and a number of pieces of statute legislation have been put in place to moderate protest activity. Article 9, 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998 gives the freedom of thought, expression and assembly/association, and these rights mean that protest legislation remains one of the most contested in the courts; the resulting case law provides an ever changing interpretation of the laws. Therefore the use of legislation, especially new legislation, which interferes in the rights to protest needs to be carefully considered, be proportionate and likely to succeed.
The Commission has not made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing external access to Richmond House and there are no plans to open the entrance into Richmond House from Whitehall. The House of Commons Commission’s decision to house Members and their staff in Richmond House was for three years from summer 2021, and the scope of this light refresh did not include opening up this entrance.
In order to open up access there would be a need for intrusive infrastructure works. There would also be an increase in operational costs as the entrance would need to be manned by Met Police. Any opening up of the Whitehall entrance would need to be evaluated against the decision of the Commission (for the three-year period) and other necessary changes to provide adequate physical security arrangements for passholders entering and exiting the building at this location would also be required.
The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock are currently undergoing the most extensive conservation project carried out in the 160 years since Big Ben and the quarter bells began to strike.
Following conservation off-site, the clock mechanism – which usually powers the hammers that strike the Great Bell (Big Ben) and the four quarter bells – is currently being re-installed in the Tower and tested.
Dusty works are still ongoing in the ventilation shaft of the Tower, which has required the hands of the West Dial to be kept stationary to prevent damage to both the hands and the mechanism itself.
The clock hands on the West Dial are scheduled to start operating again towards the end of Spring, once these works have completed. The illumination of the dials and the return of regular striking of the bells is set to resume before the conservation project completes in the Summer.
The Reverend Dave Male, Director of Evangelism and Discipleship for the Church of England, addressed the inaccuracies in The Spectator and subsequent articles, in a statement issued on 8th July: “I am very aware that some recent commentary in media and social media purporting to set out the future direction of Church of England has caused real anxiety, hurt and pain to many. Some of this has been based on a fundamental confusion between the Church of England’s own emerging Vision and Strategy for the 2020s and beyond, which we will be discussing at the upcoming meeting of General Synod, and a separate initiative called Myriad to create 10,000 new lay-led churches - which is not a national Church of England project. It has been claimed in some places that there is a plan to dissolve the parish system, sideline or even replace trained clergy, especially paid clergy, or to get rid of our beautiful, historic church buildings. So I want to make it abundantly clear that the Church of England is committed, now as always, to the ministry of the whole people of God including to ordained ministry in our parishes.” The full statement can be read here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/news-releases/clergy-and-parishes-heart-church-england-now-and-future
In his presidential address and in the subsequent debate on Vision and Strategy at the July General Synod, the Archbishop of York said that the Church needed more, not fewer vocations to ordination and that the limiting factor was the lack of vocations, not the valuable work of serving clergy across the country, of all forms of ministry.
The Archbishop of York’s presidential address can be read at https://www.archbishopofyork.org/news/latest-news/presidential-address-general-synod-july-2021 and his presentation on the Vision and Strategy is here: https://www.archbishopofyork.org/news/latest-news/vision-and-strategy-address-general-synod-july-2021
More information about Vision and Strategy itself can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/emerging-church-england/vision-church-england-2020s
Parishes remain at the heart of the Church of England's mission and ministry to the nation and the Church is delighted that growing numbers of people are answering the call to the priesthood. This year 591 clergy have committed themselves to ordained ministry within the Church, the largest number in over thirteen years. More information about vocations can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/news-releases/recommendations-stipendiary-ordained-ministry-training-highest
Second Church Estates Commissioner
The Church of England wishes to welcome all couples eligible to be married in its churches. The Church provides yourchurchwedding.org as a resource to couples seeking information about all aspects of a church wedding, and this has proven to be a popular resource which is now used by over a million couples a year.
The General Synod and Parliament approve the fees charged by the parishes of the Church of England for these and other services via the Parochial Fees Order. Details of the current fees set for 2021 can be found here:
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/Parochial%20Fees%20A4_21.pdf
The cost of getting married in a church remains very modest when compared to other locations. Weddings are bespoke services, and all churches have a basic charge that covers the ceremony, including the calling of banns, the banns certificate, marriage certificate, and administration cost. Should a couple wish to opt for bells, choir, organist and flowers, etc. they are arranged by the parish for an additional fee to cover people's time and additional administration costs. An incumbent priest also has the discretion to waive some of the fees for pastoral reasons.
The National Church Life Events team has worked with Archdeacons across the country to encourage all parishes to distinguish between the statutory fee and additional charges clearer. The local Archdeacon would be best placed to discuss any individual case.
Second Church Estates Commissioner
The Speaker’s State Coach is currently on loan to the National Trust for display at their Carriage Museum at Arlington Court in Devon. The current loan contract is being renewed for two additional years to allow full consideration to be given to the future of the coach.
The Speaker has indicated that this is a matter for Members of the House of Commons. The House of Commons Commission will respond to any decision of the House on this matter. In the absence of any such decision, the Commission's position on the sounding of Big Ben remains unchanged.
For the Bell to ring on 31 January, the temporary striking mechanism used for Remembrance Sunday and New Year's Eve would need to be reattached and tested to ensure the timing is correct. Alongside this work, a temporary floor of the belfry where Big Ben is housed would also need to be installed, as extensive work is currently taking place in this area. The cost for the temporary floor and installing, testing and striking Big Ben would be approximately £120,000.
In addition to the set-up, the delay to work in the belfry would push back the planned programme of works by two to four weeks, with each week of delays costing approximately £100,000 a week. As such, the minimum cost of sounding Big Ben would be £320,000 but could be much higher (up to £500,000). These costs are based on a notice period of approximately two weeks. Should the project team be required to strike the bell with less notice, these costs would increase substantially.
I refer the hon. Member to my response on 28 June 2021.
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
9 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Michael Fabricant's BEIS questions)The Government has awarded up to £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023 for the next nuclear projects, including SMRs.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government announced its intention to introduce an Energy Bill Relief Scheme, for six months, from 1 October 2022. Alongside that announcement, the Government committed to carrying out a review of the operation of the scheme in order to inform decisions on future support after March 2023.
The review will focus on identifying the non-domestic customers most at risk and how the Government will continue assisting them with energy costs from April 2023.
The Government will publish finding of the review by January 2023.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
District councils and other local authorities on eligible contracts will be covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure all businesses and other non-domestic energy users are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Officials in the Department are working closely with DCMS on this policy issue. The departments published a joint consultation on the policy design in August last year, will be publishing a joint response to that consultation in the coming weeks, and are working together to deliver the necessary legislation when parliamentary time allows.
The BEIS Select Committee carried out an inquiry into the Mineworkers Pension Scheme last year. The Government was unable to accept the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee’s report and continues to believe that the existing arrangements work well for all parties. Following the publication of the report, the former Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, met the MPS Trustees on 21 June to discuss the report and options for the way forward. She asked the Trustees to consider whether they would be willing to include the Government Guarantee in any future discussions around surplus sharing and the Investment Reserve. The Government awaits their response.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are planning for all scenarios in the fight against COVID-19 and the Vaccine Taskforce is taking a number of steps to ensure the UK is prepared to respond to current and emerging COVID-19 variants as quickly as possible.
However, current data suggests that all deployed COVID-19 vaccines in the UK - AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna - offer protection against the prevalent virus variants currently circulating in the UK, and recent data indicates that the Pfizer vaccine remains effective against Beta variant.
We continue to assess the efficacy of the vaccines currently in our portfolio against new and future variants of the virus and continue to work closely with vaccine manufacturers to ensure that vaccines that have already received UK regulatory approval could be suitably updated, where possible and where needed, to remain effective against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.
The UK Government has secured early access to 397 million vaccines doses through supply agreements with six separate vaccine developers. This includes agreements with:
- Pfizer/BioNTech for 100 million doses
- University of Oxford/AstraZeneca for 100 million doses
- Moderna for 17 million doses
- Novavax for 60 million doses
- Janssen for 20 million doses
- Valneva for 100 million doses
In addition, the Government has a reservation agreement with GlaxoSmithKline/Sanofi Pasteur for 60 million doses and a non-binding agreement with CureVac for 50 million doses.
The Government is working closely with vaccine manufacturers and Public Health England to understand the efficacy of our current vaccine portfolio against new variants and will continue to monitor the picture with variants as it develops.
The Government announced on 3 June 2021 that it has started commercial negotiations with AstraZeneca for future supplies of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine that have been adapted to tackle the Beta variant first identified in South Africa.
We are completely focussed on fulfilling our manifesto commitment to clamp down on irresponsible payment practices, supporting small businesses who are impacted the most.
We will shortly consult on the merits of strengthening the Small Business Commissioner’s powers, which could support compliance by larger businesses and further improve payment culture.
10 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Michael Fabricant's DCMS questions)Policy responsibility for each specific type of public notice lies with a range of different government departments. The Government is mindful of the potential effect that any changes to the existing publicity requirements for public notices might have on transparency and local democracy, as well as the potential effect on the sustainability of the local news sector as a whole. We recognise the continued importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve and that there will continue to be a need to reach out to people who cannot digitally access information.
At the same time, to help address the desire for more digitalisation and greater audience reach in the publication of public notices, the local newspaper sector has been working with Google to develop an online Public Notice Portal. The Portal is intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences, providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. The Government is monitoring the Portal’s development, and the effect that it has on the transparency of public notices.
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
The Government consulted on our proposed approach to a new pro-competition regime, overseen by the Digital Markets Unit, last year. The consultation closed in October, and we are carefully considering the responses. We will set out the final design of the regime in our response in due course, and will introduce legislation to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government consulted on our proposed approach to a new pro-competition regime, overseen by the Digital Markets Unit, last year. The consultation closed in October, and we are carefully considering the responses. We will set out the final design of the regime in our response in due course, and will introduce legislation to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Minister of State (Home Office)
Ofcom is responsible for the recruitment, retention and terms and conditions of its staff and as such is not a matter for the Secretary of State to discuss with Ofcom.
Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company it regulates.
In the past two years Ofcom has placed circa six staff on immediate garden leave as they have left to join companies which Ofcom regulates or will regulate in the future. Ofcom does not have data immediately available for a five year period but can provide this on request once available.
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
Ofcom is responsible for the recruitment, retention and terms and conditions of its staff and as such is not a matter for the Secretary of State to discuss with Ofcom.
Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company it regulates.
In the past two years Ofcom has placed circa six staff on immediate garden leave as they have left to join companies which Ofcom regulates or will regulate in the future. Ofcom does not have data immediately available for a five year period but can provide this on request once available.
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
Since the end of the Transition Period the UK is no longer part of Roam Like at Home so surcharge-free roaming for UK consumers in the EU is no longer guaranteed. Mobile operators are now able to impose a surcharge on UK consumers travelling abroad to the EU for their mobile phone usage.
Ministers have regular discussions with senior representatives of mobile operators on a range of issues, including on the issue of mobile roaming, and the government will continue to promote a competitive marketplace that serves the interests of consumers.
Regarding the EEA, the UK recently announced a new agreement with Norway and Iceland for the first ever trade provision which will reciprocally cap the costs mobile operators are allowed to charge each other for international mobile roaming between these countries. This cap is the gateway to allowing surcharge-free roaming for everyone travelling between these countries.
On Thursday 12 November 2020 plans were announced to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. This will include the issue of a Platinum Jubilee medal. The medal will be awarded to people who work in public service including representatives of the Armed Forces, the emergency services and the prison services.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Outdoor swimming pools have been able to open from 11 July, and from 25 July indoor gyms, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance.
Sport England have announced a £195 million package of support to help community clubs through this crisis. It recently boosted its Community Emergency Fund by a further £15 million to meet the demand, taking the total up to £210 million.
The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current crisis. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess how we can most effectively support heritage and tourism on inland waterways following COVID-19.
Waterways businesses and workers can access the Government’s comprehensive economic support package, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Bounce Back Loans scheme. The £10 million Kick-starting Tourism Package will give small businesses in tourist destinations grants of up to £5,000 to help them adapt their businesses following COVID-19.
Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed COVID-secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely.
VisitBritain have also introduced an industry standard quality mark that tourism businesses - including those associated with waterways - can acquire if they are compliant with COVID-secure guidance.
The £45m Discover England Fund encourages visitors to enjoy the West Midlands’ diverse waterways, including the Trent & Mersey Canal in Lichfield.
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department recognises that issues relating to sex and gender can be complex and sensitive for schools to navigate, which is why the Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools and colleges in relation to children who are questioning their gender.
It is vital that the guidance published gives clarity for schools and colleges, and reassurance for parents. The Department is taking the necessary time to ensure that it reflects the best possible advice before publishing the draft.
It is important that the Department is able to consider a wide range of views in order to get the guidance right. The Department has, therefore, committed to holding a public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication.
Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.
The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.
The Government and the education trade unions, the ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU, took part in a period of intensive talks between 17 March and 23 March 2023, with over 200 hours of Ministers’ and officials’ time spent on these talks, after which an in principle offer was made by the Government. This offer comprised a package of pay and non-pay related measures. Unfortunately, the four trade unions rejected this fair and funded offer.
Following the unions’ rejection of the Government’s March pay offer, teacher pay for next year will go through an independent pay review process as usual. The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) makes recommendations on the pay of teachers in England and reports to the Secretary of State for Education and the Prime Minister.
As part of the normal process, the STRB has now submitted its recommendations to the Government on teacher pay for 2023/24. The Department will be considering the recommendations and will publish its response in the usual way.
The Department will continue to engage regularly with teaching and leadership unions on policy developments as usual.
The safety of pupils and teachers is paramount. The Department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 for keeping school buildings safe and in good working order, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24. In addition, the School Rebuilding Programme will transform buildings at 500 schools, prioritising poor condition and potential safety issues.
The Department have asked all responsible bodies, such as Local Authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies, to inform the Department of the possible presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their buildings and how they are managing it. The Department continues to urge all responsible bodies to contact us immediately if they have any serious concerns about their school buildings.
The Department is commissioning assessments of cases of suspected RAAC to confirm whether it is present and ensure appropriate and rapid action is taken to address any immediate risk, based on the advice of structural engineers. This can include funding support for capital works to remove any immediate risk and, where absolutely necessary, the provision of temporary buildings.
Longer term remediation of RAAC is supported by annual capital funding provided to the sector and the Department’s rebuilding programme. The Department provides additional support on a case by case basis where there is a serious safety issue with a school building that cannot be managed independently by Local Authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary aided school bodies.
All registered independent schools must, as a condition of registration, meet the Independent School Standards (ISS). The ISS include, among other things, an obligation to provide teaching that does not undermine the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and provide personal, social, health and economic education which encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.
The Government takes allegations seriously and, where appropriate, will investigate further. The school in question was inspected in October 2022. The Department awaits the publication of the final report of that inspection, confirming whether those standards were met. The Department will consider this report carefully before deciding what regulatory steps are appropriate, in line with the published policy.
14 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Michael Fabricant's Defra questions)The Government currently provides an annual grant of over £50 million to the Canal and River Trust, guaranteed until 2027. We are undertaking a review of the grant, as required by the 2012 Grant Agreement. The review is assessing whether the grant is providing value for money and whether there is a case for continued government funding beyond the end of the grant period in 2027. As the review is ongoing, I am unable to provide specific details. The outcome of the review will be announced when it has concluded.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently provides an annual grant of over £50 million to the Canal and River Trust, guaranteed until 2027. We are undertaking a review of the grant, as required by the 2012 Grant Agreement. The review is assessing whether the grant is providing value for money and whether there is a case for continued government funding beyond the end of the grant period in 2027. As the review is ongoing, I am unable to provide specific details. The outcome of the review will be announced when it has concluded.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently provides an annual grant of over £50 million to the Canal and River Trust, guaranteed until 2027. We are undertaking a review of the grant, as required by the 2012 Grant Agreement. The review is assessing whether the grant is providing value for money and whether there is a case for continued government funding beyond the end of the grant period in 2027. As the review is ongoing, I am unable to provide specific details. The outcome of the review will be announced when it has concluded.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently provides an annual grant of over £50 million to the Canal and River Trust, guaranteed until 2027. We are undertaking a review of the grant, as required by the 2012 Grant Agreement. The review is assessing whether the grant is providing value for money and whether there is a case for continued government funding beyond the end of the grant period in 2027. As the review is ongoing, I am unable to provide specific details. The outcome of the review will be announced when it has concluded.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 14 th October 2022.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fly-tipping is a menace – which is why we have been taking significant action to stamp it out.
Our proposals on electronic waste tracking will replace outdated paper forms with a robust online system. Our proposed reforms to licencing for waste carriers and brokers will allow us to clamp down hard on rogue waste operations, and make it easier than ever to detect unlicensed operators. These build on enhanced enforcement powers in last year’s Environment Act, and on £350,000 of Defra grant funding for local council projects to tackle areas of persistent fly-tipping.
In 2016 we legislated to introduce a fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping of up to £400 – but, for more serious offences, prosecution allows for an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment. While sentencing is a matter for courts, we are working with the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to produce a guide on how councils and others can present robust prosecutions which should support tougher sentences. We intend to publish this in the spring.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 15-year Grant Agreement signed in 2012 between Defra and the Canal and River Trust (CRT) requires that a review of the grant is undertaken at the 10-year point to inform a decision on any future Government funding beyond 2026/27 when the current grant period ends. This review is currently underway and will consider the case and context for any future funding arrangements, reporting by 1 July 2022.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Waste water treatment in the UK is largely determined by the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994. The Regulations have the objective of protecting the environment from the adverse effects of wastewater by setting minimum treatment levels supplemented by additional requirements to limit pollution from discharges. All discharges to the water environment require a permit issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The Environment Agency will include the necessary conditions in water company discharge permits to limit sewage-related debris from entering rivers and seas. In the UK, rather than the Australian practice of using drainage nets, this is achieved through engineering design and the use of screens at the point of discharge to the environment.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The legal position is complex. It is the Government’s view that those seeking to navigate inland rivers for recreational purposes where there is no navigation authority should establish that they have a legal right to do so, either through voluntary agreement with riparian landowners or otherwise.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focusing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as: the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; and most recently a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations.
At this stage there is no specific sector support for the waterways, although we are keeping all decisions under review. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to protect the interests of animals throughout the world.
The Government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, also raises concerns about the health and welfare of animals with other governments and international authorities at every suitable opportunity.
Attorney General
The Government welcomes the Landscapes Review and is now carefully considering its proposals, including those concerning open access. The Government will set out its response in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government welcomes the Landscapes Review and is now carefully considering its proposals, including those concerning open access. The Government will set out its response in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On December 2nd, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade confirmed to the House that the UK will open a public consultation on an enhanced bilateral free trade agreement with Israel early next year.
Officials are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts to implement the existing UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK is due to hold the inaugural UK-Israel Joint Committee early next year and is also planning to host a joint UK-Israel Innovation Summit in March. This will be an opportunity to highlight our ambitious trade, science and innovation relationship, and showcase the shared talents of leading British and Israeli businesses.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HS2 works in the Lichfield constituency continue to progress as planned. As elsewhere on the route, HS2 Ltd would communicate updates to programmes of works in this area to the community and local stakeholders.
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
A full cost benefit analysis has been published alongside a consultation on the Government’s final proposals for a zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and CO2 emissions regulation for new cars and vans in the UK.
The Department is continuing to work through the implications of the funding settlement with HS2 Ltd and further details will be confirmed formally shortly.
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government Car Service (GCS) contracts in this financial year have already been let for cars due for replacement.
Contracts were let and delivered by Jaguar Land Rover leaving one outstanding contract with Ford Motor Co. for vehicles needed to fulfil special operational requirements.
GCS recognise the merits of awarding contracts to a UK based manufacturer and the positive effect it has on the supply chain. It is also a great promotion of British manufacturing when Ministers are seen in UK manufacturers products.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HS2 Phase 2b is at a much earlier stage of development than other phases of the HS2 project, with baseline cost and schedule information still being finalised. It is also being looked at as part of the Integrated Rail Plan, which will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b and other transformational projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, will work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers across the North and Midlands need and deserve. This will provide further certainty on issues like phasing on HS2 Phase 2b, which, together with approvals on baseline cost and schedule information, will allow the project to proceed to its next stage and in turn improve delivery confidence.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The alignment of the new railway is unchanged from when Parliament passed the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act in 2017.
Please note that whilst the railway itself is all below ground level, it is not a “tunnel” under the A38 as such; an overbridge will be constructed to take the dual carriageway over the new railway, which will pass under the A38 immediately to the east of Streethay housing, just at the point where the slip roads to/from Burton Road meet the dual carriageway.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No, Ministers did not have discussions with HS2 Ltd on the paragraph included in the Phase 2a consultation and leaflet prior to its publication.
The leaflet published by HS2 Ltd did not accurately set out the purpose of the consultation and how responses will be analysed and considered. I have asked HS2 Ltd to send out an updated leaflet to those residents living within 1km of the route who received the first leaflet to make this clear, making clear that all responses will be carefully considered.
The aim of the Phase 2a consultation is to help the Government understand in more detail the environmental impacts of the scheme on local communities as it takes the scheme forwards, and to identify and implement further mitigation measures. It will also help the Government better understand the concerns of local communities on their local transport provision. Once the responses are analysed the Government will publish a summary report and set out how it proposes to address the issues raised.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Feasibility work in 2017 indicated that reconstruction of the Euston Arch would cost in excess of £50m and present challenges in terms of recovering the original construction materials. In developing the Masterplan for Euston Station, our development partner, Lendlease, is considering how the history of the station at Euston should influence and best be reflected in the future designs. We are determined to learn the lessons from the successful Kings Cross redevelopment, which has successfully used the restoration of our beautiful heritage railway architecture.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No decisions have yet been taken on the train services that will operate on the west coast mainline after the beginning of HS2 services. These decisions will be taken nearer the time, drawing on advice from the West Coast Partnership and Network Rail, and will be subject to public consultation.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK left the European Union (EU) on 31 January and is now in a transition period until 31 December 2020, during which time existing arrangements remain unchanged. This means that UK driving licences will continue to include the EU flag for the duration of the transition period.
In-House Services did try to purchase these through their supplier; however due to the current high demand for sanitisers and sanitiser units there was a 3–4 week delivery time. They have therefore purchased the units without stands and requested that the Parliamentary Maintenance Services Team (PMST) provide suitable stands.
In-House Services are currently awaiting delivery of the dispensers, and PMST are in the process of making the stands.
I understand that officials from Transport for the West Midlands have met with the Hon. Member and that they are undertaking a study to evaluate the business case for this proposal. As the Minister responsible for rail, I would be happy to meet with him and officials in due course to discuss the findings.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Work is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and pensions, and Consumer Price Index in the year to September is the latest figure that she can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.
All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September.
The Secretary of State’s decisions regarding benefits and pensions uprating for this financial year were announced to Parliament on 25 November 2021. And the increase of 3.1% from April 2022 was debated and approved by both Houses of Parliament earlier this year.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In March 2021, the Government published its vision Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery. The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery: 2022 to 2025 implementation plan, published June 2021, outlines the steps that the Department and its partners will take to increase the number of clinical trials and studies, including those for vaccines and other medicines.
The Government has recently entered a 10-year partnership with Moderna which includes substantial investment in United Kingdom-based research and development, including running a significant number of clinical trials in the UK.
In addition, Lord James O’Shaughnessy was appointed in February 2023 to undertake a review of commercial clinical trials in the UK. He will publish his advice this spring, this will include recommendations of priority actions to make progress in 2023, as well as setting out longer-term ambitions for UK clinical trials.
Vaccines are a type of medicine. ‘Medicinal products’ are defined in Regulation 2 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The Windsor Framework secures a United Kingdom-wide regime for the approval and supply of medicines, removing the role of the European Medicines Agency and helping to ensure that medicines are available at the same time and on the same basis right across the UK.
The Government supports a new international legally binding instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The process for developing this new pandemic instrument will be led by the member countries of the World Health Organization, including the United Kingdom. The instrument would become binding if and when the UK accepts it in accordance with our constitutional process. The UK would remain in control of any future domestic decisions about national restrictions or other measures and would be subject to Parliamentary approval.
Secretary of State for Education
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities produces the ‘Migrant health guide’, a free, online resource designed to support primary care practitioners. It includes information on migrants’ entitlement to the National Health Service, guidance for assessing new patients, tailored health information specific to over 100 countries of origin and guidance on a range of communicable and non-communicable diseases and health issues. In addition, all arrivals will receive a welcome pack in Ukrainian, Russian or English which outlines their entitlement to free health care and includes details of how to register with a general practitioner.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The criteria for adding new vaccination centres or sites to the National Booking System (NBS) is dependent upon the delivery model. All community pharmacy vaccination sites and mass vaccination centres are automatically added to the NBS regardless of their capacity. Regional systems prioritise the addition of sites to the NBS according to local need and may also include smaller sites such as ‘pop-ups’ to meet local care needs.
Digital health collaboration between the United Kingdom and Israel includes the UK-Israel Tech Corridor, where the Leeds Corridor pairs National Health Service organisations with Israeli health technology companies to advance their product or clinical work. The UK also plans to host a UK-Israel Innovation Summit next year, where digital health will feature.
Secretary of State for Education
From 19 November, the NHS COVID Pass can now be used to demonstrate proof of a booster or third dose for outbound international travel. This record is available through the NHS App and NHS.UK and includes the date of each vaccination. Booster vaccinations are not required for domestic certification in England. In light of recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to extend the booster programme, we will keep the inclusion of boosters for domestic certification under review.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) interim advice on a potential COVID-19 booster vaccination programme states that vaccines designed specifically against variants of concern will not be available in time for booster revaccination this autumn. The use of variant vaccines will be considered by the JCVI in due course.
Final decisions on the timing, scope and cohort eligibility of any COVID-19 vaccine booster programme will be confirmed once the JCVI has provided their final advice. The JCVI’s advice will take into account the latest epidemiological situation, additional scientific data from trials such as COV-Boost, surveillance of the effectiveness of the vaccines over time and emerging variants.
The closed circuit television camera was installed by the Department as part of the office fit prior to moving into the building in 2017. The camera was authorised as part of an approval for the installation of cameras by the Department’s internal governance. The previous Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (the Rt hon. Matt Hancock MP) was not made aware of the camera.
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to increase levels of dental activity as fast as is safely possible. Contractual arrangements for the first six months of the 2021/22 financial year have been introduced by NHS England and NHS Improvement. The revised unit of dental activity threshold set at 60% is based on data that indicates practices may now have capacity to safely achieve more dental activity. Arrangements will be monitored on a monthly basis and are expected to be in place for six months in order to provide increased stability for dental practices. National Health Service commissioners have the discretion to make exceptions, for instance in cases where a dental practice has been impacted by staff being required to self-isolate.
We are working to address oral health inequalities. NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided local commissioners with a flexible commissioning toolkit to illustrate how best to use current flexibilities in commissioning to target capacity on improving access to urgent care and delivering care to high risk patient groups.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has not currently commissioned any research into COVID-19 vaccines which can be delivered through an adhesive patch but the National Institute for Health Research, as the biggest public funder of health research in the United Kingdom, continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including on COVID-19 vaccine related research.
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Dentistry has been particularly affected by the risk of COVID-19 transmission due to the number of aerosol generating procedures carried out. This has resulted in the need for an enhanced level of personal protective equipment and reduced throughput to allow for thorough cleaning and resting of rooms between patients, as set out in Public Health England’s Infection Prevention and Control guidance.
The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer for England to increase levels of service, as fast as is safely possible. We have been closely monitoring what has been possible and on 29 March announced that the threshold for full National Health Service contractual payment would be raised to 60% of normal activity. We continue to explore what more can be done to increase capacity including piloting pre-appointment testing.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through a joint rolling research call for COVID-19 research between the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation, funding of over £500,000 has been committed to a study looking at the safety and immunogenicity of two candidate COVID-19 vaccines administered to the respiratory tract in aerosol form, with an expected end date in August 2021.
In addition, Innovate UK, have been managing the delivery of £75 million of the £110 million Department-funded UK Vaccine Network programme. Nine Departmental projects within this portfolio were repurposed to identify other COVID-19 vaccines solutions. Also, two Innovate UK grants worth over £2.2 million in total, were awarded to Stabilitech, now known as IosBio, to assess its COVD-19 vaccine candidate that has an oral capsule delivery system in animal efficacy studies. This technology is now being tested in participants in clinical trials in South Africa and the United States.
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England and Improvement are in the process of reconciling the final payments covering July 2020 from this scheme. NHS England and NHS Improvement have not yet set a date by which final payments will be made but advise they expect the process to be completed and payments made, including any final funding due to St Giles Hospice, shortly.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the four statutory education bodies are rapidly developing a temporary recorded alternative to the Clinical Skills Assessment (subject to approval by the General Medical Council). The RCGP have advised that this will provide trainees with an opportunity to demonstrate their competence to be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training and qualify as a GP.
At the same time, the RCGP is working with their testing partner to enable the Applied Knowledge Test to resume at test centres with appropriate social distancing safeguards in place from July. The RCGP is also investigating options for remote invigilation for those who are shielding.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
7 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Questions
(View all Michael Fabricant's FCDO questions)Only the absolute minimum (less than 3%) of EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border and maintain Northern Ireland's unique access to the EU market, alongside its unfettered access to the UK internal market. Those rules which do apply on goods are applied to goods produced in Northern Ireland. But this reflects what we have heard time and again is the balance businesses want in order to prosper:
- Companies producing for their most important market in Great Britain will retain completely unfettered access to the UK market in all scenarios.
- There are many areas of goods rules within the scope of the old Protocol where no international or EU standards apply - in retail sectors like jewellery, clothes, homeware, footwear and furniture, covering a quarter of Northern Ireland manufacturers. In those cases UK national rules set the standards for goods on the market in Northern Ireland.
- Elsewhere in manufacturing, it is international standards which apply in practice, with commitments from the UK and EU in the TCA to maintain them.
- Fourthly, in agrifood, the rules in place reflect longstanding arrangements and integrated supply chains. But through this agreement they now do so within a dual regime - with retail trade into Northern Ireland able to use UK food safety standards and flow smoothly.
- This dual regime is also consistent with existing devolution arrangements, which mean it is entirely possible constitutionally to have different standards across the UK. Those differences are accommodated through the market access principle in the UK Internal Market Act 2020, enabling goods made in one market to be sold in another, even if rules differ across the different nations. That principle will be protected and strengthened under this deal
This is a pragmatic form of dual-regulation - resolving real-world barriers, and recognising UK standards in critical areas like agrifood retail trade and medicines supplies; while protecting the market access, and longstanding arrangements, of Northern Ireland producers.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.
The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.
The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Israel share a thriving relationship, working together on bilateral priorities, as well as regional issues of mutual concern, including the Middle East Peace Process. I last met my Israeli counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Roll, during my visit to Israel in June.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is saddened by the loss of life that occurred during recent events in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. We understand that initially peaceful protests against plans to change Karakalpakstan's autonomous status within Uzbekistan developed into violent unrest with casualties among civilians and law enforcement personnel. The situation now seems calm. Although there are reports of internet and telephone communications being blocked, we understand that communications in Karakalpakstan have mostly been reinstated, and international and local journalists have been given limited access to the region. The Uzbek authorities have announced an official investigation involving Parliament and civil society.
On 7 July, Lord Ahmad raised the unrest in Karakalpakstan with the Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister and the British Ambassador and his team in Tashkent are also in contact with the Uzbek authorities. We have been clear in our communications that the right to peaceful protest and respect for media freedom should be protected. In discussion of these events in multilateral fora, we urged the Uzbek authorities to adhere to their international commitments and due process, as they seek to understand what happened. We will continue to monitor developments closely.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
UK sanctions have been strategically coordinated with international allies to impose severe cost on Putin and his regime. We are acting in lockstep, as our collective impact is greater than the sum of its parts; however the UK has been at the forefront of the allied response. We continue to work closely with allies on further measures that can be taken. Our sanctions send a clear message that nothing, and no one, is off the table.
Home Secretary
The UK ended traditional bilateral aid programmes to China in 2011. As the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated, global challenges need global solutions, and we recognise that China has to be part of them as a major driver of global growth with increasing presence on the global stage. We now offer China expertise and skills, to help tackle global issues like climate change, which is firmly in the national interest, as well as using ODA to fund the ODA eligible portion of the costs of UK diplomatic staff in China, Chinese Chevening scholars and the British Council's ODA eligible activity in China.
The Statistics on International Development (SID) provides an overview of official UK spend on international development, including a breakdown of projects. The 2019 data was published on GOV.UK on 24 September, and can be viewed through the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921034/Data_Underlying_SID_2019.ods
As confirmed at Spring Budget, round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund will proceed as planned with a further £1 billion to invest in places. Funding will be released from HM Treasury to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Transport after the places and projects receiving funding are confirmed. Work is underway to design round 3, and further detail will be provided in due course.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
HM Treasury is considering its approach to licensing to see if any changes are required to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (OFSI) licensing practice in relation to legal fees licence applications. We need to carefully balance the right to legal representation - which is a fundamental one - with wider issues of public policy.
HM Treasury does not comment on specific licensing cases. We will update Parliament appropriately on the wider considerations in due course.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Office for National Statistics release statistics on UK inflation. These show that the annual rate of CPI inflation was 10.7% in November, down from 11.1% in October.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed global factors are the primary cause of current inflation. Inflation is high here – but higher in Germany (11.3%), the Netherlands (11.2%), and Italy (12.5%).
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
September CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011 because it allows sufficient time for the legislative and complex delivery process to take place for new rates to come into force in April.
In addition to uprating social security benefits, the government is also providing support to families worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help families with cost of living pressures. This includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate and increasing work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol duties to keep costs down, and providing millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills.
At the Spring Statement, the Chancellor went further, announcing an increase to the annual National Insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit to £12,570, and an additional £500m to help the most vulnerable with the cost of essentials through the Household Support Fund. Families and businesses across the UK will also benefit from a 12-month cut in fuel duty of 5 pence per litre, the largest cash terms cut, that has ever been applied to all fuel duty rates at once. This cut represents savings for consumers worth almost £2.4 billion over the next year.
And, from 1st April 2022, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23, which will benefit more than 2 million workers. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Home Office does not have any jurisdiction over the decision making of the independent judiciary. However, if my Hon Friend wishes to raise any points of law that may lead to an appeal, the Minister of State for Courts and Justice is happy to work with him on how this may be taken up with the Attorney General.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The Licensing Act 2003 already allows the Home Secretary to make legislation for blanket relaxations of licensing hours for “an occasion of exceptional international, national, or local significance”.
The Government continues to keep the Licensing Act 2003 under review and works closely with licensing practitioners to ensure the regime remains fit for purpose and meets emerging challenges.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is not responsible for water safety.
Fire and Rescue Services may make local decisions to publish water safety information according to local circumstances or need.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government continues to be committed to assuring that animals used in science are protected by the legal framework.
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has published its compliance framework which identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies to minimise the risk of recurrence.
All cases of non-compliance during 2019 to 2021 have been thoroughly investigated and the outcomes have been published in ASRU’s annual report.
Minister of State (Home Office)
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. The vast majority of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office carries work in progress across the year as part of normal operational planning, and approximately 250,000 passport applications are being processed each week.
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of complaints received by the Metropolitan Police concerning the activities of the Government Whips Office or the Opposition Whips Office in the House of Commons.
Home Office officials are aware of the event held at Chasewater Park at the weekend and police were in attendance to ensure safety of the public.
The Government engages with partners to build a picture of the prevalence of potentially radical groups within communities. We keep our response to groups and individuals under constant review to ensure it is best placed to tackle the evolving threat.
When the Department receives correspondence, it is triaged by officials to assess the appropriate response, which includes consideration of whether a letter may not be suitable for a reply due to racist or offensive content.
Any correspondence received directly from a Member is shared with the relevant Minister’s office. Where constituency correspondence is provided directly from Member’s offices, rather than from Members themselves, the Minister’s office is not routinely shown the correspondence if it has been assessed to fall into the racist or offensive content category.
In this case there was an error in the process for assessing whether the correspondence was racist or offensive and a substantive reply should have been sent. The correspondence will now be replied to by me as the Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration as a matter of priority
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I have responded to the email from the hon. member for Lichfield most recently on 22 July.
Discussions remain ongoing regarding Educational Oversight for Private further education colleges and I will provide a further response as soon as possible.
We aim to respond to all correspondence from MPs in a timely manner. The Department works to a target of responding to 95% of MPs written correspondence within 20 working days.
My officials have been in discussion directly with the relevant organisations and other Government departments in relation to the issue of Educational Oversight (EO) provision for further education colleges raised in the email from the hon. Member for Lichfield.
Racist abuse is utterly unacceptable whether it takes place online or offline. Individuals who commit racist offences should face the full force of the law and we already have robust legislation in place to deal with online hate crime.
While companies have taken some positive steps, more needs to be done to tackle online harms, including hate crime. The upcoming Online Safety regulatory framework will put in place measures to tackle illegal and legal but harmful abuse, including racist abuse. If major platforms do not meet their own standards to keep people safe and address abuse quickly and effectively, they could face enforcement action. There is no reason for companies to wait until the regime is fully running to take action against this abhorrent abuse, and we will continue to press them to do so.
The police are reviewing offending material and will work with the relevant social media companies to identify account holders and progress their investigations.
We understand that a local statement was issued by Luton United Synagogue, which referred to concerns about a protest on 29 May 2021 and incorrectly stated that Bedfordshire Police were advising members of the Jewish community to avoid parts of Luton. This statement was subsequently retracted. The protest did take place with approximately 100 attendees. No disorder was reported
The Government is clear that any criminal activity, including the incitement of violence or racial hatred, is completely unacceptable. We have robust laws to tackle such criminal offences.
The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating a number of allegations in relation to recent demonstrations in London.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The danger to life from channel crossings and the criminal activity they fund is simply unacceptable.
Journeys are often illegally-facilitated and totally unnecessary, France is a safe country with a fully functioning asylum system.
We are working tirelessly to make this route unviable.
We are also introducing legislation to fix our broken asylum system and create a fairer and firmer system.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK Government is dedicated to supporting Ukraine defend its sovereignty in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion. A key element of our response is being agile in our support as the conflict changes and strands of work such as training or equipment donation are constantly assessed to deliver this goal. We continue to enable and adapt support from across the world to meet Ukraine’s current and future requirements.
As confirmed by the Secretary of State for Defence on 16 January 2023, the UK will send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, together with armoured recovery and repair vehicles. The gifting of these tanks is part of a significant new package of combat power to increase Ukraine's capabilities and accelerate Ukrainian success on the battlefield.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
I welcome the constituency interest and the proposal will be considered in the regular rounds of affiliation planning, noting that the Royal Navy seeks to affiliate ships with communities across the country over time, which can be made at borough, town, city or county level.
8 Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities Questions
(View all Michael Fabricant's DLUHC questions)The Government carefully considered a wide range of documents when selecting which acceptable forms of identification to use at polling stations . It is essential that the list of accepted identification includes those owned by the majority of the electorate, but also that the list can be effectively administered by polling station staff. Evidence from pilots showed that use of a young person's rail card was very low where they were trialled in Woking in 2018. Young person's railcards are also generally offered in digital and physical formats but digital formats are not currently accepted as voter identification. It was judged that allowing a physical version of a young person's railcard but not a digital version could lead to confusion.
Cabinet Office research shows that 98% of electors already own a form of photographic identification (in date or expired) that is accepted under the changes and this increases to 99% for those ages 18-29. A number of student cards are accredited by the Proof of Age Standards Scheme, and so are accepted. This includes the National Union of Students endorsed 'TOTUM +' student card, and a Young Scot card, meaning there are nationally available student cards that will be accepted as identification in polling stations.
The Government has committed in legislation to review the voter identification policy after implementation and, as set out previously, will consider appropriate changes to the list of accepted identification documents as part of this process.
The mission we have set out in the White Paper is that by 2030, everywhere in England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution with a simplified long-term funding settlement.
Our policy statement released in December, provided multi-year certainty to local authorities into 2024/25. This statement supports councils’ budget setting processes, allowing local authorities to plan over the rest of the Spending Review.
With reference to financial years 2023/2024 and 2024/25, the Government is currently considering elements of the future financial settlement and will make announcements in due course.
Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
For all places across England, including shire counties, who are interested in pursuing a new devolution deal, a mayor will not be a pre-requisite. However, we do believe that high-profile, directly elected leaders (such as a mayor) will be most effective for levelling up: providing a single point of accountability to local citizens, acting as a champion for their areas and attracting investment and opportunity to their places. As such, the most comprehensive devolution package will only be available to areas with a directly elected mayor. The devolution framework - published in the Levelling Up White Paper - sets a clear and consistent set of devolution pathways for places, enabling them to widen and deepen their devolved powers subject to meeting certain pre-conditions.
The Department has provided clear guidance on the membership of Local Enterprise Partnerships through our National Local Growth Assurance Framework.
Each Local Enterprise Partnership is required to set out the membership requirements of their Board and Sub-Boards in a Local Assurance Framework which should be published on their website.
At the start of this pandemic we advised Clinically Extremely Vulnerable people to shield - to not leave their homes and avoid face-to-face contact – and we set up the National Shielding Service; a huge logistical exercise unprecedented since the Second World War.
This has included delivering over 3 million free food boxes to date, securing priority supermarket slots, getting people’s medicines delivered to their doorstep, and social contact.
On 1 June, following clinical advice, we announced that?clinically extremely?vulnerable?people in England?can spend time outdoors?with members of their household, or with one other person from another household if they live alone, while continuing to follow social distancing guidelines.
The next review will take place this week. As part of this, the Government will consider the next steps for shielding beyond 30 June. The Government will write to all individuals on the shielded patient list with information about next steps on shielding advice and the support that will be available to them after this review point.
Minister of State (Home Office) (Immigration)
It would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases and decisions made by the independent judiciary, which are fact specific and made on a case-by-case basis. This particular judgement does not relate to an area of Ministry of Justice policy but as is normal practice, the Crown Prosecution Service can appeal rulings in the magistrates’ court.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Crown Prosecution Service can choose to refer the case to the Attorney General, and if she agrees, she can ask the Court of Appeal to review whether the law needs to be clarified. This would not change the outcome of this specific case.
Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we are in the process of changing the law to ensure that those found guilty of desecrating or damaging a memorial face a punishment that better reflects the high sentimental and emotional impact these actions can have.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since March, we have acted decisively to protect our staff, prisoners and the wider community from outbreaks in prisons and the youth estate. Our compartmentalisation strategy allows us to quarantine new arrivals, isolate those with symptoms, and shield vulnerable prisoners.
We have introduced routine testing of staff, and testing of prisoners on reception and transfer, in all prisons and YOIs. Whilst every death is a tragedy, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated prison staff, we have managed to limit deaths from Covid in the prison estate to far below PHE predictions.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This Government has made clear that there is no place for bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment in Parliament and by working cross party, we will ensure everyone working in Parliament is treated with dignity and respect. An independent inquiry into bullying and harassment of House of Commons staff was carried out by Dame Laura Cox and her report was published in 2018. Following on from this, Gemma White QC carried out an independent inquiry on bullying and harassment of past and present staff of Members of Parliament, as well as Members themselves, and her report was published in 2019. A key recommendation of both reports was that the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme should be amended, so as to ensure that those employees with complaints involving historical allegations can access the Scheme. As a result, in July 2019, the House of Commons approved the steps to make the necessary changes to extend the scheme to include historical allegations and that came into effect on 21 October 2019. An 18-month review of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme is due in June 2020.
I announced recess dates, up to the conference recess, on 9 January 2020 (Official report, col. 616). As ever, recess is subject to the progress of business and the agreement of the House. Further provisional recess dates for 2020 will be announced to the House in due course. I will look to provide as much forward notice on recess dates as is possible.
Narrow gauge railways, like Rhyl Miniature Railway, are an important aspect of our tourism sector and it is vital they are supported. Although tourism is devolved in Wales, the UK Government invested approximately £18 million in funding during COVID to over 60 heritage steam organisations through the Culture Recovery Fund.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
Healthcare is a devolved matter in Wales. However, I will be writing to the Health Minister to raise the closures at Tywyn Hospital.
Secretary of State for Wales
The hon Member will be aware that these areas are devolved and we believe in respecting the devolution settlement.
I can reassure him that the Secretary of State for Wales and myself remain unceasing in our enthusiasm for promoting the wonderful array of attractions in Wales and the opportunities available for investors at home and abroad.Secretary of State for Wales
The rural and hospitality sectors form the backbone of the Welsh economy. The Eat Out to Help out Scheme helped protect two million Welsh jobs. This - alongside cutting VAT, months of furlough for staff, and incentives to keep workers in jobs - demonstrates the benefits to Wales of being part of the Union.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)