Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason a young person's railcard is not valid for use in local and national elections as voter ID; and if he will take steps to make the young person's railcard a valid form of voter ID.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will discuss with the Welsh Health Minister the provision of healthcare for English tourists in Tywyn in Gwynedd following the closure of the minor injuries unit and the inpatient ward at the Tywyn Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David T C Davies
Healthcare is a devolved matter in Wales. However, I will be writing to the Health Minister to raise the closures at Tywyn Hospital.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timetable is for (a) completion of engineering works and (b) making good of (i) ground works and (ii) roadways for phase 1 of the HS2 route north of Birmingham in (A) the vicinity of the A38 at Streethay and (B) the rest of the HS2 works in Lichfield constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the EU policy on banning internal combustion engines.
Answered by Jesse Norman
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether vaccines are contained within the definition of medicines in the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to increase the number of clinical trials for (a) vaccines and (b) other medicines.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 March on Transport Update, whether the construction of HS2 between Birmingham and the point where it joins the West Coast Main Line near Handsacre will be affected by the construction rephase.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department is continuing to work through the implications of the funding settlement with HS2 Ltd and further details will be confirmed formally shortly.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Windsor Framework, published on 28 February 2033, whether manufacturers and growers in Northern Ireland have to meet EU standards if their goods are only being sent to other parts of the UK and not to the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty
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.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the third round of levelling up bids will be invited by his Department.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN 140117 on 14 February 2023.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to assess the work of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation; and if he will make a report to Parliament on monies released to Yevgeny Prigozhin to pursue a court case against a British journalist.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
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.