Mike Kane Portrait

Mike Kane

Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East

First elected: 13th February 2014

Shadow Minister (Transport)

(since April 2020)

Seafarers' Wages Bill [HL]
11th Jan 2023 - 17th Jan 2023
Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill [Lords]
4th Feb 2021 - 9th Feb 2021
Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
9th Oct 2016 - 10th Apr 2020
Shadow Minister (International Development)
18th Sep 2015 - 27th Jun 2016
Treasury Committee
24th Nov 2014 - 30th Mar 2015
Environmental Audit Committee
18th Mar 2014 - 30th Mar 2015


Department Event
Thursday 14th December 2023
09:30
Department for Transport
Oral questions - Main Chamber
14 Dec 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Transport (including Topical Questions)
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Note: This event involves a Department with which this person is linked, and does not guarantee their actual attendance.
Division Votes
Wednesday 29th November 2023
Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
voted Aye - in line with the party majority
One of 140 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 194 Noes - 275
Speeches
Thursday 23rd November 2023
Business of the House
My constituent Jess McNichols, who is receiving treatment for cancer at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, missed an important medical …
Written Answers
Thursday 26th October 2023
High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing …
Early Day Motions
Wednesday 9th September 2020
10th anniversary of the papal visit
That this House warmly recalls the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK between 16 and 19 September 2010; …
Bills
Tuesday 5th January 2016
MP Financial Interests
Monday 14th November 2022
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)
Name of donor: Catholic Bishops Conference England & Wales
Address of donor: 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX
Amount of …
EDM signed
Thursday 12th May 2022
Arrests in Hong Kong
That this House notes with concern reports that His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, aged 90, …
Supported Legislation
Tuesday 17th March 2020
Company Transparency (Carbon in Supply Chains) Bill 2019-21
A Bill to require companies to prepare an annual statement on carbon in their supply chains; and for connected purposes.

Division Voting information

During the current Parliamentary Session, Mike Kane has voted in 614 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

17 Jun 2020 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Mike Kane voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Labour No votes vs 135 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
27 Apr 2021 - Delegated Legislation - View Vote Context
Mike Kane voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Labour No votes vs 189 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 431 Noes - 89
View All Mike Kane Division Votes

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
Robert Courts (Conservative)
(29 debate interactions)
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(12 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(10 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Transport
(126 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(14 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Mike Kane's debates

Wythenshawe and Sale East 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).

Petitions with highest Wythenshawe and Sale East signature proportion
Petition Debates Contributed

We want suicide spoken about in schools in a safe and age-appropriate way. Speaking about suicide saves lives
The Dept for Education are conducting a review of the RSHE curriculum; this petition calls on the DfE to include suicide prevention within the statutory guidelines of the new curriculum.

The Government’s modernising vehicle standards proposal suggested new offences for tampering with a system, part or component of a vehicle intended or adapted to be used on a road. This could have a hugely detrimental impact on the UK motorsport and custom aftermarket industry.

Invest in FOP research to support this ultra-rare disease community. Research into FOP could inform the understanding/treatment of many more common conditions such as osteoporosis, hip replacements, DIPG (a rare childhood brain cancer) and many common military injuries.

Cervical screening needs to be every year.

This is because women are dying, mothers, wives, daughters, granddaughters and sisters are dying.


Latest EDMs signed by Mike Kane

12th May 2022
Mike Kane signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 12th May 2022

Arrests in Hong Kong

Tabled by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
That this House notes with concern reports that His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, aged 90, has been arrested in Hong Kong on charges relating to breaches of China's National Security Law; further notes reports that alongside Cardinal Zen, Cantopop singer and actor Denise Ho, former …
30 signatures
(Most recent: 19 Jun 2023)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 17
Labour: 4
Conservative: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Independent: 2
Green Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
23rd March 2022
Mike Kane signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 24th March 2022

P&O Ferries and DP World

Tabled by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the decision of P&O Ferries to fire 800 staff without notice or consultation with their trade unions, the RMT and Nautilus; demands the immediate reinstatement of the sacked workers; condemns their replacement with agency workers earning as little as £1.80 per …
125 signatures
(Most recent: 27 Apr 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 92
Scottish National Party: 12
Liberal Democrat: 7
Independent: 5
Plaid Cymru: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Alba Party: 2
Green Party: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
View All Mike Kane's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Mike Kane, 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.


Mike Kane has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Mike Kane

2 Bills introduced by Mike Kane


Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 5th January 2016

A Bill to amend the Mesothelioma Act 2014.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 10th March 2015

108 Written Questions in the current parliament

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
14th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the British Film Institute has spent in each region in each of the last three years.

At the heart of the British Film Institute’s ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, is a core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across the UK, so that everyone across the regions and all four nations can experience, create and benefit from screen culture.

The below table has been extracted from data that government publishes on identifiable expenditure in the regions and nations of the UK.

It shows all expenditure in 2021/22 prices, to provide a more accurate picture accounting for inflation.

BFI Country and Region Spend 2019-2022; 2021-22 prices

Country/Region

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Total

Scotland

£1,629,000

£2,132,000

£2,049,000

£5,810,000

Wales

£971,000

£1,271,000

£1,108,000

£3,350,000

Northern Ireland

£5,076,000

£5,029,000

£6,565,000

£16,670,000

England - North East

£802,000

£1,284,000

£889,000

£2,975,000

England - North West

£2,234,000

£4,162,000

£2,675,000

£9,071,000

England - Yorkshire and the Humber

£1,730,000

£5,147,000

£2,706,000

£9,583,000

England - East Midlands

£1,560,000

£6,522,000

£1,727,000

£9,809,000

England - West Midlands

£1,959,000

£4,380,000

£2,454,000

£8,793,000

England - East

£6,200,000

£15,438,000

£6,944,000

£28,582,000

England - London

£10,155,000

£21,422,000

£13,668,000

£45,245,000

England - South East

£3,607,000

£7,781,000

£5,365,000

£16,840,000

England - South West

£1,793,000

£6,181,000

£2,633,000

£10,607,000

Outside UK

£971,000

£1,330,000

£1,006,000

£3,307,000

Total

£38,687,000

£82,169,000

£49,786,000

£170,642,000

Whilst BFI spending in London and the South East accounts for almost 36% of its total spending over 2019-22, this is due in part to the relatively high proportion of the industry based in London and the South East (70%) and also, due to the established method of recording awards based on applicant postcode, does not capture the broader outputs and widespread impact of organisations based in London and the South East but delivering on a regional or UK-wide basis.

For example, BFI National Lottery distribution awards - such as the award which supported Parasite to reach 1.6 million people across the UK - are used to give audiences everywhere the chance to enjoy the widest possible range of films; overall, titles supported by distribution awards have generated 4.5 million admissions across every corner of the UK over the course of 2017-2022. The Light Cinema Co. received £3 million from the Culture Recovery Fund and, whilst its head office is in London, the award was used to support its 10 cinemas, 7 of which are in the North of England. And ‘Into Film’, a London-based organisation who received £24 million from the BFI over 2017-2022, used this funding to deliver Film Clubs in UK schools, reaching in the last year alone more than 3 million children at over 6,500 schools across the UK. Through its National Lottery Funding Plan, the BFI will be devolving even more funding to organisations across the regions and nations through its National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund, which will invest £9 million in 6-7 clusters across the UK to lead on skills and training in their area, making sure people from a wide range of places have the opportunity to get into the industry. The BFI also funds a network of organisations across the UK - including in Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester - to lead audience and talent development work in their respective regions and nations, with £15.2 million to be awarded to 11 partner organisations over the next three years.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
10th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his final guidance to employers in the shipping industry on the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020; and when he last discussed this matter with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport.

On 1 October 2020, the Government passed the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 that extended the NMW to include an individual who ordinarily works in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom or in the United Kingdom section of the continental shelf.

The Government’s “Calculating the Minimum Wage” guidance has been updated to take account of these changes and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage/calculating-the-minimum-wage#seafarers.

We are currently drafting further guidance on this issue for employers and seafarers. We will publish this in due course, and will consult unions and other stakeholders ahead of publication.

The Department works closely with the Department for Transport on this matter, as evidenced by the joint appearance by ministers from both departments at a recent roundtable organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

10th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to consult trade unions and other stakeholders on the draft guidance for industry on the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020.

On 1 October 2020, the Government passed the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 that extended the NMW to include an individual who ordinarily works in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom or in the United Kingdom section of the continental shelf.

The Government’s “Calculating the Minimum Wage” guidance has been updated to take account of these changes and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage/calculating-the-minimum-wage#seafarers.

We are currently drafting further guidance on this issue for employers and seafarers. We will publish this in due course, and will consult unions and other stakeholders ahead of publication.

The Department works closely with the Department for Transport on this matter, as evidenced by the joint appearance by ministers from both departments at a recent roundtable organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

11th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many producers who have secured BFI Film Hub North short film funding in the last five years have been supported by the BFI with (a) development and (b) production funding for a feature film; where each of those producers was based in the North of England; and how many of the directors of those films were based in the North of England.

The Short Film Fund is delivered centrally by the BFI, rather than through its five regional hubs, including Film Hub North. The Short Film Fund supports projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with BFI NETWORK Talent Executives, who work with filmmakers on the delivery of funded projects. Regional hubs make recommendations to the BFI on which projects should receive support.

Film Hub North supports regional producers in a variety of other ways. This includes the Creative Producer Lab in partnership with Film Hub Midlands, which has supported over 50 producers since 2019, including 34 based in the North of England.

Through a range of measures, Film Hub North has helped to support 73 short film production awards over the period FY 2018/19 - FY 2022/23. The BFI has identified at least nine producers who were supported by Film Hub North and received funding from the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund, who then applied for and received further support via either the BFI National Lottery development and/or production funds for a feature film. This includes producers based across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humberside. However, this does not capture the full range of benefits available to producers in the North through the BFI NETWORK. Additionally, Short Film Fund funding recommendations are made based on the location of the director, not the producer, so Northern producers may receive support through other regional hubs.

Moreover, with regards to the BFI supporting producers to transition from short films to feature films: where producers choose to take this step, it can often take longer than five years, for a variety of reasons, with many filmmakers needing more than one funded short film before they gain production funding for a feature film.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
17th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the British Film Institute has received in applications for funding from each region in each of the last three years.

The British Film Institute’s (BFI) ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out the core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across all of our nation.

The below table sets out the number of applications to the BFI for both their National Lottery funding and their government-provided Grant-in-Aid funding, broken down by region, in the past three years (2019-2022). The table also sets out the number of awards given over each of those years, also broken down by region based on beneficiary location (drawn from postcode data, in accordance with the methodology agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport).

Region

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

3-Year TOTAL

Applications

Awards

Applications

Awards

Applications

Awards

Applications

Awards

ENGLAND East Midlands

4,708

5,397

15,043

8,175

5,013

5,339

24,763

18,911

ENGLAND Eastern

7,644

9,247

10,463

12,046

22,533

10,559

40,640

31,852

ENGLAND London

143,213

17,814

138,301

24,541

152,278

18,405

433,793

60,760

ENGLAND North East

1,935

2,301

1,099

2,159

2,705

2,720

5,740

7,180

ENGLAND North West

7,953

6,133

11,773

6,297

18,170

7,155

37,896

19,585

ENGLAND South East

19,484

8,445

20,407

10,630

18,800

11,473

58,692

30,548

ENGLAND South West

9,707

5,520

13,548

8,261

10,341

7,191

33,595

20,972

ENGLAND West Midlands

11,406

6,022

12,375

5,823

5,717

6,714

29,499

18,559

ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside

9,088

6,190

9,993

7,247

11,384

7,610

30,465

21,047

NORTHERN IRELAND

10,495

6,253

10,925

5,737

11,281

8,095

32,702

20,085

SCOTLAND

7,618

5,059

5,619

3,841

7,285

5,912

20,522

14,812

WALES

3,399

3,172

4,307

2,345

6,562

3,422

14,268

8,939

Total

236,652

81,553

253,854

97,102

272,067

94,595

762,572

273,250

To note, given the assessment process, applications may be made in one year, and processed or awarded in the following year. Therefore, a direct correlation cannot be established between the applications and awards made in any single year.

Extrapolated from the figures in the above table, the below table further provides the proportion of applications and awards over the three years 2019 - 2022, broken down per region.

Region

Proportion of Applications (over 3 years)

Proportion of Awards (over 3 years)

ENGLAND East Midlands

3%

7%

ENGLAND Eastern

5%

12%

ENGLAND London

57%

22%

ENGLAND North East

1%

3%

ENGLAND North West

5%

7%

ENGLAND South East

8%

11%

ENGLAND South West

4%

8%

ENGLAND West Midlands

4%

7%

ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside

4%

8%

NORTHERN IRELAND

4%

7%

SCOTLAND

3%

5%

WALES

2%

3%

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
28th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities have (a) been granted permission to move (i) up to 0.5 per cent, (ii) between 0.51 and 1 per cent and (iii) over 1 per cent of schools block funding to high needs block funding, (b) been denied permission to move schools block funding to high needs block funding and (c) made a request to move schools block funding to high needs block funding but no decision has yet been made; and what criteria his Department uses to determine those requests.

In total, 25 local authorities submitted a request to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to move schools block funding to high needs block funding. All schools block movement requests are reviewed against the criteria set out in paragraphs 261-286 of the ‘Schools revenue funding operational guide: 2020 to 2021’, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2020-to-2021.

Of these 25 requests, the following were granted permission to move funding from the schools block to the high needs block:

  • no requests to move up to 0.50%;
  • one request, from Kent County Council, to move between 0.51% and 1%; and
  • two requests, from Rotherham and South Gloucestershire local authorities, to move 1%.

The remaining 22 requests to move funding away from the schools block were denied.

All decisions have been made as advised in Table A.

20th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to introduce mandatory reporting of incidents of restraint in schools.

The Department does not collect or record information about schools’ use of restraint or restrictive practices, and does not intend to introduce mandatory reporting at this time. We trust schools to use their judgement in recording incidents involving force and, when serious incidents occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and let the parents know.

Schools need to be safe and calm environments with effective behaviour management policies and approaches that meet the needs of all pupils, including those with mental health difficulties, special educational needs or disabilities.

At times, it may be necessary to use reasonable force to restrain a pupil – for example, to break up a fight in order to protect teachers and other pupils. Wherever possible, restraint and restrictive intervention should be avoided; and proactive, preventative, non-restrictive approaches adopted in respect of behaviour that challenges.

In June 2019, the Department for Health & Social Care and Department for Education jointly published non-statutory guidance on reducing restraint and restrictive intervention in health and social care services and special education settings. This guidance aims to help settings adopt a preventative approach to supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties.

20th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were subjected to the use of physical restraint in schools in each of the academic years (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2015-16.

The Department does not collect or record information about schools’ use of restraint or restrictive practices, and does not intend to introduce mandatory reporting at this time. We trust schools to use their judgement in recording incidents involving force and, when serious incidents occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and let the parents know.

Schools need to be safe and calm environments with effective behaviour management policies and approaches that meet the needs of all pupils, including those with mental health difficulties, special educational needs or disabilities.

At times, it may be necessary to use reasonable force to restrain a pupil – for example, to break up a fight in order to protect teachers and other pupils. Wherever possible, restraint and restrictive intervention should be avoided; and proactive, preventative, non-restrictive approaches adopted in respect of behaviour that challenges.

In June 2019, the Department for Health & Social Care and Department for Education jointly published non-statutory guidance on reducing restraint and restrictive intervention in health and social care services and special education settings. This guidance aims to help settings adopt a preventative approach to supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties.

17th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the block allocations for (a) individual maintained schools and (b) academies for 2019-20; and for what reason the allocations will be published later in the school year than in previous years.

In previous years, school-level allocations for local authority maintained schools and academies have been published as transparency statistics in late autumn, but not to a fixed schedule.

This year we will be publishing the individual school-level school’s block allocations, covering allocations for 2019-20, in the Department’s new school funding official statistics report on 30 January 2020.

The Department already publishes detailed information on school funding, including full details of individual grant funding allocations issued to schools and local authorities, but we recognise that this information can be hard to understand and navigate. The aim of this new official statistics report is to help users’ understanding of this issue, and we are including the 2019-20 school-level allocations in that report.

This dataset will include details of more grants than in previous years, giving a fuller picture of school-level funding for the year.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support (a) riding schools and (b) livery yards during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support for businesses that are required to close or which are severely affected by the restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19, protect the NHS and save lives.  The Government is working closely with local authorities in England to ensure that funding can get to the right places as quickly as possible.  Business premises that are required by law to close during the current period of national restrictions since 5th January can access grants of up to £4,500 per 6 weeks of closure (Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)). In addition, each closed business will be eligible for a one-off payment of up to £9,000 to help them through Spring. This is the Closed Business Lockdown Payment.

Local authorities have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support businesses that are significantly impacted by the restrictions even though not required to close.  This is in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020.  Local authorities have discretion to use this funding to support businesses in the way they see fit.  For example, this could include businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, or businesses in the events sector or businesses outside the business rates system, which are effectively forced to close such as market traders.

In addition the British Horse Society has issued advice for equestrian businesses during this time, including setting out loans and grants that businesses may be eligible for (www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/coronavirus-covid-19/business-support-resources).

Whilst riding centres and livery yards are required to close to the general public this does not prevent access to facilities where necessary for animal welfare purposes. Employees may continue to go to work there if they are unable to work from home. Members of the public can continue to visit these establishments if this is where their horse is kept and if this is necessary in order to care for their horse. Further information on this has been distributed to all local authorities via the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
29th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of staff employed by her Department are apprentices.

As of 31st January, there are 75 apprentices employed by the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF). This is 3.2% of the total staff employed by DIT and UKEF.

23rd Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the methodology on the basis of which he has concluded Euston HS2 station can be delivered without public funding.

The Network North paper published by the Department for Transport on 4 October 2023 sets out that we will appoint a development company, separate from HS2 Ltd, to manage the delivery of this project. We will also take on the lessons of success stories such as Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which secured £9 billion of private sector investment and thousands of homes. So we will harness the future growth that the station will unleash to support its development, to ensure we get the best possible value for the British taxpayer - and ensure that funding is underpinned by contributions from those people and businesses its development supports.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
23rd Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of platforms at the Euston HS2 terminus on commuters.

Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
23rd Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of platforms at the Euston HS2 terminus on station capacity.

Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
1st Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on reforms to its enforcement powers.

The recent public body review of the CAA made 24 recommendations including in relation to enforcement. DfT officials discuss implementing these recommendations with the CAA regularly. The Department published its response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform consultation on 27 June 2023, which included a commitment to legislate when parliamentary time allows to provide the CAA with additional administrative powers. The Department will work closely with the CAA on the design of those powers to make sure they are effective and proportionate. A review of safety enforcement powers last took place in 2022; further work is needed to evaluate properly and fully the available options and to consider any additional engagement or consultation needed to understand the implications of any changes to current policy. Any changes agreed will be implemented as part of our joint DfT CAA rulemaking programme.

1st Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support consumers affected by flight cancellations in summer 2023.

The Department has been clear with industry partners that they should ensure passengers receive the best possible service and are provided with the support they need in the event of disruption.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring that airlines are meeting their obligations under the legislation that sets out air passenger rights. It continues to monitor industry performance, and will take action where required.

It is very important that passengers understand their rights. This is why the Department published the Aviation Passenger Charter in July 2022. The Charter provides passengers with information needed for each stage of their journey, including if something goes wrong.

15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2022, published on 10 May 2023, whether he plans to undertake a review into the (a) training and (b) employment of UK seafarers.

The Department is working with the Maritime Skills Commission to address the recommendations from its 2021 review of training for officer cadets.

In June 2022 the Government announced a review of ratings training, barriers, opportunities, and areas for growth. Government will work with the Maritime Skills Commission on findings that emerge from this review.

The Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry report is updated annually, and the next planned update is scheduled for early 2024

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2022 to Question 107115, if he will list the organisations represented by the five external maritime consultants on the UK delegation to the 79th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.

Five representatives were registered for this session comprised of: one from academia; two from the UK Chamber of Shipping; and two from Lloyd’s Register.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
1st Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) value and (b) duration is of the contract between his Department and KPMG for research into internet connectivity for seafarers.

The total contract value is £95,000. The contract was designed to run from 19th December 2022 - 28th February 2023, with provision built in to enable work to be extended if required at no additional cost to the department.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
9th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the members were of the UK delegation to the 79th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.

The UK’s delegation to the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO’s) Marine Environment Protection Committee 79th session is led by Katy Ware, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the IMO. She is support by 15 officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 12 from the Department for Transport, four from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, two from HM Treasury and five external maritime consultants.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
9th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will set out the Government’s negotiating position ahead of the 79th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.

The 79th session of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO’s) Marine Environment Protection Committee runs from 12 to 16 December 2022.

The UK’s position on the matters, such as Greenhouse Gas emissions and ballast water, that will be discussed during this session has been consulted on and agreed by Ministers.

It would not be appropriate to set out the UK’s negotiation position while those discussions are taking place. The IMO will publish, on its website, a meeting summary after the session has concluded.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2022 to Question 80719, on Ferries: Crew, how many meetings officials in his Department have had since 1 March 2022 with representatives of (a) the International Labour Organisation and (b) the International Maritime Organisation at which (i) roster patterns and (ii) minimum crewing levels in the short sea shipping industry were discussed.

Officials meet with representatives from the maritime industry on a regular basis to discuss progress with the seafarer protections nine-point plan, including on matters such as roster patterns and the Seafarers’ Wages Bill.

In parallel to this engagement, officials have also met with relevant multilateral institutions, including the International Labour Organization, to ensure seafarer protections remains on the global agenda.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2022 to Question 80719 on Ferries: Crew, how many meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives of the ferry industry at which roster patterns were discussed since 1 March 2022.

Officials meet with representatives from the maritime industry on a regular basis to discuss progress with the seafarer protections nine-point plan, including on matters such as roster patterns and the Seafarers’ Wages Bill.

In parallel to this engagement, officials have also met with relevant multilateral institutions, including the International Labour Organization, to ensure seafarer protections remains on the global agenda.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
17th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money P&O has received from contracts under the Freight Capacity Framework Agreement since it was introduced.

Payments under the Freight Capacity Framework Agreement to P&O Ferries Holdings Ltd have totalled approximately £11M. Eligibility of services ceased at the end of July 2021; all the contracts under the Framework have terminated and there is no intention to let further contracts under it.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
17th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether P&O Ferries was considered for funding through round two of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition; and whether P&O Ferries will be barred from round three.

P&O Ferries did not bid into either Round 2 or Round 3 of the CMDC and will therefore not directly receive any CMDC funding.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
15th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Secretary of State for Justice on developing minimum wage corridors between UK ports and ports in Crown Dependencies.

There have been no discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on this matter.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
9th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet with (a) Manchester Airport and (b) other business in Manchester affected by service performance of TransPennine Express to discuss potential improvements to that service.

Ministers are always happy to discuss opportunities to work together with business partners to improve rail services for passengers across the North and the Northern economy. The Transport Secretary will shortly be meeting a number of Northern mayors to discuss these issues and we look forward to conversations with business and other stakeholders in the future.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
9th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help improve the services operated by TransPennine Express.

The Department, which manages TPE’s contract in partnership with Transport for the North, as a temporary solution and subject to strict conditions, agreed that TPE could introduce a revised timetable from mid-September 2022 for services it operates on the West Coast Main Line.

The amended timetable was discussed with Northern stakeholders, including the Manchester Airport Group and Transport for Greater Manchester, and entails reductions in services back to a similar level provided pre-May 2022, complemented by additional bus services in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.

My officials have been in regular contact with TPE to manage the provision of services and have agreed a programme of measures to deliver a more reliable timetable, including:

  • Ongoing review of timetables to establish a stable and reliable base in the short term;
  • Introduction of additional drivers and conductors (currently being trained);
  • Recruitment of 68 more drivers to reduce TPE’s reliance on rest day working and overtime; and
  • Resolution with the unions of current industrial relations issues, including the possible reinstatement of rest day working, to increase available staff resources and operational flexibility.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
9th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is a short-term service improvement plan in place for TransPennine Express.

The Department, which manages TPE’s contract in partnership with Transport for the North, as a temporary solution and subject to strict conditions, agreed that TPE could introduce a revised timetable from mid-September 2022 for services it operates on the West Coast Main Line.

The amended timetable was discussed with Northern stakeholders, including the Manchester Airport Group and Transport for Greater Manchester, and entails reductions in services back to a similar level provided pre-May 2022, complemented by additional bus services in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.

My officials have been in regular contact with TPE to manage the provision of services and have agreed a programme of measures to deliver a more reliable timetable, including:

  • Ongoing review of timetables to establish a stable and reliable base in the short term;
  • Introduction of additional drivers and conductors (currently being trained);
  • Recruitment of 68 more drivers to reduce TPE’s reliance on rest day working and overtime; and
  • Resolution with the unions of current industrial relations issues, including the possible reinstatement of rest day working, to increase available staff resources and operational flexibility.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made changes to the Maritime 2050: People Route Map, published on 7 September 2019, following the (a) covid-19 pandemic and (b) the actions of P&O Ferries.

The Department has worked with the sector to publish a Maritime Recovery Route Map in June 2022 to help boost the sector’s recovery from the pandemic. The Route Map has a dedicated section on People and Skills and sets out progress on the Seafarer Protections Nine-Point Plan. Over £2.4m funding was announced alongside publication of the Route Map to support maritime skills, diversity, careers and seafarer wellbeing.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received advice from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the safety of (a) roster patterns and (b) minimum crewing levels in the short sea ferry sector since 17 March 2022.

The Department is currently developing a new Seafarers’ Charter, which aims to boost long-term working conditions for seafarers. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been involved with the development of the Charter, along with the wider maritime industry. The Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency are both of the view that roster patterns and crewing levels are important areas that require further research.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to implement the Nine-point plan for seafarers, published on 6 July 2022.

Delivery of the nine-point plan continues at pace. A key aspect of this has been the development of the Seafarers’ Wages Bill, which progressed to Third Reading in the House of Lords on 07 November 2022. The Bill will now progress into the House of Commons, marking a major step towards ensuring that seafarers with close ties to the UK are paid at a rate at least equivalent to the UK National Minimum Wage.

We are continuing with delivery of the wider nine-point plan, including engagement with our near European neighbours to explore the creation of minimum wage equivalent corridors, as well as working through international organisations to create a step change in seafarer welfare.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether seafarer (a) training and (b) employment policies are within the remit of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions.

The first package of interventions announced by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) included a commitment to explore green skills initiatives, in partnership with the Department for Education and the National Shipbuilding Office.

UK SHORE will continue to work across government and industry on options to support the training and skills required for zero emission shipping.

Employment policy is not within the remit of UK SHORE.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to contribute to the work of the Maritime Just Transition Task Force since it was established at COP26.

The Department regularly engages with the members of the Taskforce, although it has not directly engaged with the Taskforce itself.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much public funding P&O Ferries has received through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

The first round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition awarded funding to the Dover Clean Ferry Project for a feasibility study between September 2021 – March 2022. The University of Kent was the lead organisation and P&O Ferries was one of their partners in the project consortium.

Funding was given to P&O for costs incurred as part of the Dover Clean Ferry Project. This amounted to £3,168.45. They received no further funding after this point.

P&O Ferries was not part of any winning bids in the second round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
13th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timetable is for the publication of the review conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority into (a) practices to ensure that legal responsibilities on providing care and assistance, refunds, and compensation are being met and (b) encouraging best practice.

Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been clear with industry on their obligations to passengers in the event of flight disruptions. The CAA is undertaking engagement and information gathering with airlines. The CAA, as the regulator for aviation, will take enforcement action where they identify systemic failures.

CAA publishes guidance to industry to support good practice. Additionally, we are regularly engaging with industry through the weekly Strategic Risk Group and through our development of the Aviation Passenger Charter to encourage best practice.

It is essential that consumers have access to the information they need when travelling and are clear on their rights and responsibilities. The CAA and industry already publish guidance for consumers. To further support this, the Government is working with the CAA, industry, disability and consumer groups to develop and publish an Aviation Passenger Charter. The Charter will provide passengers with a single point of information to help understand their rights and responsibilities when travelling by air. The Charter will be published shortly.

13th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 June 2022 entitled 22-point plan to tackle aviation disruption, when he plans to launch the Generation Aviation campaign to increase the number of people applying for jobs in the sector.

The Department for Transport will launch the Generation Aviation campaign in due course. The campaign will aim to work with industry to raise awareness of aviation careers and increase the number of people applying for jobs in the aviation sector.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) additional enforcement powers for the Civil Aviation Authority and (b) other consumer protections for air passengers will be implemented before the House rises for the Summer Adjournment on 21 July 2022.

The Department for Transport recently consulted on a range of aviation consumer policy reforms, including additional powers for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as the Regulator for aviation, to enforce consumer rights.

The consultation closed on the 27 March and we are conducting a comprehensive analysis and review of the responses. We will publish the Government’s response and set out next steps, including consideration of any potential legislative requirements, in due course.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the new Aviation Passenger Charter will be published.

As announced in the Flightpath to the future and the recent plans for minimising disruption, Government is working alongside aviation industry, consumer and disability groups to develop the Aviation Passenger Charter.

The Charter will help passengers understand their rights and responsibilities when travelling by air.

The Charter will be published shortly.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he received representations from representatives of industry on continuing the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme beyond January 2022.

We have received a large number of representations on a variety of issues from industry, all which are considered carefully.

Since the start of the pandemic, DfT estimates that the air transport sector (airlines, airport and related services) have benefitted from around £8bn of support, including grant awards made by the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme.

Since the UK became the first major economy in the world to remove all COVID-19 travel rules for anyone entering the UK on 18 March, now is the right time to start looking ahead to the future. We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.

12th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to plan for the potential effect on international travel of new variants of covid-19.

The Government will conduct a full review of international travel restrictions by the end of January, including the approach to responding to future variants, to ensure a stable system for 2022.

17th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) coverage and (b) accessibility of hydrogen filling stations in the UK.

Hydrogen is likely to be fundamental to achieving the full decarbonisation of UK transport. Our £23 million Hydrogen Transport Programme has supported the building of three new refuelling stations, with a further three planned; as well as upgrades to two existing stations, with a further four upgrades planned. As of September 2021, there are fifteen publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK which provide hydrogen suitable for use by vehicles.

Our £20 million Zero Emission Road Freight Trials (ZERFT) are looking at hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the UK. The trials will inform which technology, or technologies, are best suited for use in the UK and help to clarify our understanding and identify the potential barriers to the installation of refuelling infrastructure, so that these can be addressed before rollout.

Trudy Harrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
18th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry statistics, published on 24 February 2021, what proportion of (a) UK, (b) EEA and (c) non-EEA seafarers in each seafarer type has received at least one shot of vaccine against covid-19; and if he will outline the procedures in place to monitor covid-19 vaccination rates in countries supplying labour to the UK shipping industry.

A person’s occupation is not recorded when administering the Covid-19 vaccination. Seafarers in the UK are being vaccinated as part of the general population, with all adults aged 18 and over now eligible. Proof of Covid vaccination is not required to obtain a permit to work in the UK maritime sector.

24th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the Transport Decarbonisation Plan before the summer 2021 Parliamentary recess.

Our Transport Decarbonisation Plan will set an ambitious pathway to end UK transport’s carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest and we intend to publish it shortly.

24th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Clean Maritime Council has met since October 2018 to date; and if he will list its membership.

The department regularly engages with the Clean Maritime Council on all matters that concern them, including reducing the sector’s emissions. The Council has met eight times since October 2018, including four times in the past six months since December 2020. Meetings were temporarily paused in 2020 due to Covid-19 but were resumed virtually at the end of the year.

The organisations represented on the Clean Maritime Council include the British Ports Association, Clean Cargo Working Group, Engie, IMarEST, ING, Innovate UK, Maritime Enterprise Working Group, Maritime London, ORE Catapult, Red Funnel, Smart Green Shipping Alliance, Strathclyde University/MarRI-UK, University College London, UK Chamber of Shipping, UK Major Ports Group as well as the Department for Transport, the Maritime Coastguard Agency, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

24th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on implementing the Clean Maritime Plan.

The Department has made good progress in implementing the Clean Maritime Plan. As set out in the plan, clean maritime innovation in the UK has been supported with a round of Research and Development grants and a Clean Maritime Innovation call, and a consultation on how the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation could be used to encourage the uptake of low carbon fuels in the maritime sector was launched. A Clean Maritime Award was established to celebrate leaders in the field of emissions reduction, a study to identify and support potential UK zero emission shipping clusters was undertaken and the Maritime Future Technologies team within the Maritime & Coastguard Agency was launched. This year, a Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which build on the commitments set out in the Clean Maritime Plan was launched.

24th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the availability of shore side electric recharging facilities for roll-on roll-off ferries in the Port of Dover; and how far that port is to the nearest grid connection of sufficient capacity to support those facilities.

The Department has made no assessment of the availability of shore side electric recharging facilities for roll-on roll-off ferries in the Port of Dover and of its related grid requirements.

24th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the issues discussed at the last meeting of the Clean Maritime Council.

The department regularly engages with the Clean Maritime Council on all matters concerning maritime decarbonisation. The Council last met on 19 May 2021 and the agenda included a discussion on the recent announcement to include International Aviation and Shipping emissions in the Sixth Carbon Budget, as well as future domestic policy priorities including the forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan. Officials also gave a brief update on the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

21st May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to update air passenger forecasts following the covid-19 pandemic.

The Department will look to publish new long-term aviation forecasts in due course. However, this is a period of great uncertainty and we need to observe a more settled recovery before we can begin to reflect this in any future forecasts.

21st May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to hold a consultation on establishing a long-term price support mechanism for sustainable aviation fuels.

The Government believes that sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have a crucial role to play in reaching our goal of net zero by 2050. We already provide strong support to the sector through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and our low carbon fuel industry competitions.

To further build on this existing support, as part of the Prime Minister's 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government announced £15m for a new SAF industry competition, £3m to set up a SAF clearing house, and an intention to consult on a blending mandate to drive SAF uptake in the UK. This consultation is planned for the summer and will be complemented by supporting ambitions presented in the department’s upcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Net Zero Aviation Consultation.

The Government will continue working with stakeholders through the Jet Zero Council SAF Delivery Group and other channels to explore what further policies might be needed to support the development of the sector, including demand-side measures or business models that address price risk.

21st May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take steps to (a) establish a long-term price support mechanism for sustainable aviation fuels and (b) create a sustainable aviation fuel industry.

The Government believes that sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have a crucial role to play in reaching our goal of net zero by 2050. We already provide strong support to the sector through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and our low carbon fuel industry competitions.

To further build on this existing support, as part of the Prime Minister's 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government announced £15m for a new SAF industry competition, £3m to set up a SAF clearing house, and an intention to consult on a blending mandate to drive SAF uptake in the UK. This consultation is planned for the summer and will be complemented by supporting ambitions presented in the department’s upcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Net Zero Aviation Consultation.

The Government will continue working with stakeholders through the Jet Zero Council SAF Delivery Group and other channels to explore what further policies might be needed to support the development of the sector, including demand-side measures or business models that address price risk.

25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of effect of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the UK’s charter, cargo and freight aviation sectors.

Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), UK airlines - whether passenger, cargo, scheduled or non-scheduled - can operate without restriction between points in the UK and points in the EU. Furthermore, the TCA recognises that, at their discretion, EU Member states may permit UK airlines to operate non-scheduled air services within and beyond the EU (so long as they are not a “disguised” form of scheduled service). The TCA also allows the UK and individual EU Member States to negotiate and agree a bilateral exchange of “5th Freedom” all-cargo rights. My officials are engaging closely with EU Member States and with industry on these matters.

25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the negotiation of Bilateral Air Services Agreements with EU member states.

Under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) the UK and individual EU Member States may negotiate bilateral exchanges of “5th Freedom” all-cargo rights and reach agreement on arrangements relating to the issuance of operational permissions. My officials are currently engaged in discussions with EU Member States on these arrangements.

25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) environmental effect of the use of Antonov An-12 aircraft for cargo flights in and out of the UK.

The CAA has checked multiple An-12 aircraft in 2021 through ramp inspections to verify they comply with international safety standards and have the relevant permits and certificates. No safety concerns have been identified.

Aircraft are certified by their state of design against ICAO noise and emissions certification standards if they are to operate to, from, or within the UK. No separate assessment has been made by the UK of the An-12’s environmental performance.

25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the barriers for UK airlines wishing to wet-lease within the EU since the introduction of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), UK airlines may operate using aircraft wet-leased from UK or EU wet lease providers. This helps to maximise the operational flexibility of UK airlines – for instance allowing them to address technical difficulties or short-term capacity constraints. In order to wet lease from UK wet lease providers, EU airlines must first satisfy their EU Member State’s competent authority that this is justified on the basis of exceptional needs, seasonal capacity needs or operational difficulties.

25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the rate at which (a) the Civil Aviation Authority is issuing Article 250 permits to EU-based airlines to operate in the UK and (b) European aviation authorities are issuing permits to UK-based carriers operating in the EU.

My officials continue to work closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and EU Member States, to ensure permissions for UK and EU airlines are issued by both sides with minimal procedural delay. Significant progress has already been made in securing reciprocal arrangements with EU Member States whereby permission to operate non-scheduled services can be granted for a period of time, rather than for each individual operation. This should mean that air services between points in the UK and points in the EU – including urgent “go now” operations – can take place without procedural delay.

19th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s announcement on business rates for airports on 24 November 2020, if he will publish the amount of business rates relief granted to each airport in England in 2020.

No funding has yet been provided to airports through the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) which was announced on 24 November 2020.


The Scheme will be launched shortly, with payments made to successful applicants this financial year.

20th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish end of transition period guidance to (a) employers, (b) crew and (c) international flag states in the shipping industry.

The Department for Transport, together with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, has published specific guidance on the recognition of seafarer certificates of competency from 1 January 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recognition-of-seafarer-certificates-of-competency-from-1-january-2021), as well as guidance for shipping companies on exemptions from maritime security notifications (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-an-exemption-from-maritime-security-notifications-from-1-january-2021).

Government has published extensive transition guidance, of relevance to employers and employees across the whole economy, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/transition. The need for further specific guidance for the shipping industry is being kept under review.

20th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Maritime and Coastguard Agency and (b) UK Chamber of Shipping on administrative changes to maritime security notifications on merchant shipping routes between UK and EU ports from 1 January 2021.

Vessel operators are required to provide security information via pre-arrival notifications (PANs) through the Consolidated European Reporting System (CERS), prior to arrival into a UK port. The PAN includes details of the ship, previous port history, crew and passenger lists and special or additional security measures being taken. Under EC Regulation 725/2004 the UK is able to provide exemptions for the operators of regular, scheduled voyages between an EU port and a UK port.

From the 1 January 2021, UK legislation will allow the UK to continue to provide exemptions to vessels coming into the UK from EU ports, but operators will need to begin providing information if they have previously had an exemption in place. EU member states will not be able to issue exemptions to vessels operating scheduled services from the UK, irrespective of where the ship is registered or what country’s flag it sails under.

Industry stakeholders have been made aware of the change through stakeholder meetings, such as the National Maritime Security Committee for Industry, and officials wrote to industry stakeholders on a number of occasions to inform them of the change. The change was also published on GOV.UK on the 19 December 2018 and is available at the link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-an-exemption-from-maritime-security-notifications-from-1-january-2021#what-shipping-companies-must-do

8th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial and other support he plans to provide to Maritime UK’s regional cluster development programme to enable coastal towns and cities to capitalise on global maritime sector growth opportunities.

It is our belief that no other country globally can currently match the UK’s strengths in its maritime clusters. The Government recognises the significant role that clusters have in the regional and national economy, and also our international competitiveness. Therefore, in our ground-breaking Maritime 2050 strategy, we committed to promoting and enhancing our clusters in London and across the country, in places like Southampton, Liverpool, the Tyne, and across Scotland.

We are working closely with Maritime UK, including its Regional Council, as we look to support the sector’s future recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to identify where existing Maritime 2050 recommendations should be prioritised and the case for new ones where needed. Working together we can identify how best to continue to support the development and growth of our maritime clusters and the important role they play in our coastal communities and regions. The Department intends to publish a route-map setting out our post-Covid-19 plan later in the year.

5th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 9041, what assumptions the National Transport Model (NTM) makes on the (a) levels of cycling, walking, rail and bus travel (i) in 2020 and (ii) after 2020; and (b) changes in those levels compared with the model’s baseline year, in order to produce NMT's forecasts of future motorised road traffic.

The National Transport Model (NTM) does not make explicit assumptions about levels of cycling, walking, rail and bus travel. To account for the influence of these modes on road traffic the NTM includes assumptions about the convenience and cost of these alternatives.

For cycling and walking this was based purely on travel time. In Road Traffic Forecasts 2018 (RTF18) assumed cycling and walking speeds were set in the model base year and remained constant in all scenario and forecast years.

For bus and rail, this included both travel time and fares. In RTF18 the assumptions around rail fares were based on current fares policy. Bus fares were assumed to grow in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus an average of historical increases.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
4th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding has been allocated from which (i) local and (ii) national funding streams to (A) cycling and (B) walking projects in England in each of the last five years.

On 7 February, the Department published a detailed breakdown of annual investment in cycling and walking since 2016/17 alongside the first report on progress made towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). Copies of the report and other associated information have been placed in the House libraries. The Department does not hold data relating to funding allocated from local funding streams for cycling and walking.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
4th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding has been allocated or is estimated to be allocated from which (i) local and (ii) national funding streams to (A) cycling and (B) walking projects in England in (1) 2019-20 and (2) each of the next five years.

In both 2019/20 and 2020/21, it is estimated that some £600 million will be invested in cycling and walking projects in England, outside London. The majority of this funding will be drawn from wider transport and infrastructure funds, including the Transforming Cities Fund, Local Growth Fund, Housing Infrastructure Fund and Highways Maintenance Fund. In both years, the Department for Transport has also allocated dedicated funding of £20 million to local authorities through the Access Fund, and £13 million for the Bikeability training programme.

Decisions on further funding from 2020/21 onwards will be made at the forthcoming Budget and Spending Review. This will also allocate funding for Conservative Party manifesto commitments, including the £350m Cycle Infrastructure Fund and to expand the Bikeability scheme. The Department does not hold data relating to funding allocated from local funding streams for cycling and walking.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
29th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

As of 31st December 2019, there were 219 apprentices in the Department for Transport, this is across our central department and four executive agencies (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency). This is 1.43% of the total staff employed within the department.

This figure is made up of apprentices who have been externally recruited, and existing employees currently undertaking an apprenticeship. This figure does not include apprentices employed or recently recruited by the Department waiting to start their apprenticeship.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
28th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimates were made in his Department’s 2018 road traffic forecasts for the volumes of cycle traffic in England and Wales in (a) 2015, (b) 2020 and (c) in future years modelled, under each of the scenarios modelled; and what the corresponding proportion changes in miles cycled were compared with 2015 levels.

The focus of Road Traffic Forecasts 2018 (RTF18) was to forecast road traffic by motorised modes and does not include forecasts of cycling traffic.

To produce the forecasts, the National Transport Model (NTM) does takes account of the travel choice between walking, cycling, rail and bus as well as car. However, the NTM is not designed to forecast cycling levels, which will be influenced by a range of factors not included in the model.

The Department has a dedicated model which has been designed to account for the specific factors which influence cycling. We plan to include a forecast of cycling demand using this model in an upcoming call for engagement document to be published as part of the Department’s work to develop a transport decarbonisation plan.

In relation to the proportion changes in miles cycled, the Department produces estimates of actual volumes of cycle traffic in Great Britain, the latest estimates for which are 2018. These show that cycling levels on roads in England and Wales increased 3.3% between 2015 and 2018. 2019 estimates are due to be published in June 2020 [Source: 2018 Road Traffic Estimates, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-traffic-statistics/].

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
17th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish new standards for cycle infrastructure design.

The Department will shortly be publishing revised guidance for local authorities on designing safe and efficient cycling infrastructure, which will need to be considered when setting local standards.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
17th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its recent research on the investment needed to deliver Government cycling and walking targets.

The research has been completed and the Department is planning to publish the technical report shortly, which summarises the key evidence considered, alongside the first report on progress made towards delivering the aims and ambitions set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS).

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
5th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services.

We have invested record amounts into NHS mental health services committing £2.3 billion a year compared to four years ago for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2024.

This has enabled 2 million more people to access NHS mental health support.

Specifically, we invested £15.5 billion in mental health across 2022/23, representing 24% more than in 2018/19 and helping to:

  • Grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff
  • Invest in up to 100 new mental health ambulances over 2 years with £7 million funding
  • Ensure emergency mental health support through NHS111 available everywhere in England by April 2024
Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
14th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support research into developing low carbon propellant inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

The Department funds research for the health and care system through the National Institute for Health and Social Care (NIHR). The NIHR has no immediate plans to encourage researchers to move into that specific area - though our research funding programmes are open and we would welcome applications in any area, including low carbon inhalers. The NIHR has also previously issued a cross-programme call for research into the evaluation of a range of interventions and services to support the delivery of a more sustainable United Kingdom health and care system and is considering how to support further research in this area in future.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to verify the environmental claims of companies that the NHS procures products from.

The National Health Service has set out the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, a series of milestones to help suppliers align with the NHS’ net zero ambitions. The first milestone, implemented in April 2022, requires that all NHS procurements include a minimum 10% net zero and social value weighting.

The second milestone, implemented on 1 April 2023, requires that suppliers bidding for any new contract above £5 million per annum publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) for emissions. This requirement will be extended to all procurements from April 2024.

NHS England has also recently launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment. This online voluntary self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS net zero and sustainability ambitions.

14th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS plans to use low carbon propellants treatments for asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients promptly once these therapies have been approved for use by patients.

The National Health Service remains committed to reducing the carbon impact of inhalers. As part of all inhaler prescriptions, structured medication reviews and asthma reviews, consideration should be given to moving patients to lower carbon options, where it is clinically appropriate to do so.

NHS England has worked with key partners, industry representatives, patient groups, and clinicians to develop a package of guidance and resources to support improved respiratory disease management and shared decision-making on inhaler choice.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
19th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many treatments were scheduled for review by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group in the last review round in May 2022; how many of those scheduled were approved; and how many could not be approved as the budget had been used by higher priority treatments.

NHS England makes annual decisions on which new specialised treatments should be routinely commissioned. The decisions are based on advice from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which includes of doctors, health experts and patient representatives and taken by the NHS England Board.

Treatments are grouped into five levels of priority, with those of the highest relative clinical benefit for patients and the lowest relative cost classified as level one and treatments with the lowest relative clinical benefit and highest relative cost classified as level five. The outcome of the latest prioritisation round is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/october-2022-prioritisation-decisions/

19th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which of the recommendations made by the Competition and Markets Authority to improve the PCR testing market for consumers have been implemented.

We are considering and already implementing many of the Competitions and Market Authority’s recommendations. We have established a test validation and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation process, which ensures that providers meet minimum standards before they are able to enter the market. We also continually monitor pricing for travel testing, carrying out daily price checks on listings in addition to regular audits and reviews.

11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has (a) completed and (b) planned on the use of new technologies as part of the cervical cancer screening programme.

Since 2015/16, the Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has completed three research projects on the use of new technologies as part of the cervical cancer screening programme; two NIHR research projects are still active; and one project is planned.

In the same period, there are 19 completed NIHR studies on the use of new technologies as part of the cervical cancer screening programme; three active NIHR studies and one planned NIHR study.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using digital cytology in the UK’s cervical cancer screening programme.

The National Cervical Screening Programme uses both deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) based human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in the programme.

Laboratories can choose to use either the DNA or RNA HPV testing methods as both are approved.

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has received a proposal to consider the use of digital pathology in the cancer screening programmes and work to assess this is under way.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using mRNA-based HPV tests in primary cervical cancer screening.

The National Cervical Screening Programme uses both deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) based human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in the programme.

Laboratories can choose to use either the DNA or RNA HPV testing methods as both are approved.

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has received a proposal to consider the use of digital pathology in the cancer screening programmes and work to assess this is under way.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support breast cancer clinical trial recruitment.

In May 2020 the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) published a Restart Framework to support the restarting of research paused due to COVID-19. The framework provides a flexible structure for local decision-making. Our goal is to restore a fully active portfolio of NIHR research while continuing to support important COVID-19 studies as part of the Government’s response to the pandemic.

The majority of cancer clinical trials are open to recruitment.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
20th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to provide funding to breast centres to help (a) deliver improved timely care and (b) meet service demands due to breast imaging workforce shortages.

Full details on funding allocations towards National Health Service workforce budgets in 2021-22 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.

The NHS is supporting breast screening services to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and to improve uptake so that cancers can be identified and treated earlier. Breast services are expected to benefit from the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to roll out Rapid Diagnostic Centres and the announcement in the Spending Review 2020 speech that ageing diagnostic machines will be replaced. Local health systems have been allocated additional funds to help manage the costs of COVID-19.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential health benefits of bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans from 2040 to 2035.

Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health, with long-term exposure to man-made pollution in the United Kingdom estimated to contribute towards 28,000 to 36,000 deaths each year. In May 2018, Public Health England estimated that there would be over 2.4 million new cases of disease attributable to air pollution by 2035. Further information on this is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-a-tool-to-estimate-healthcare-costs

The Government’s Clean Air Strategy aims to reduce emissions from transport. The phase out of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans, will make an important contribution to reducing the levels of particulate matter and consequently the numbers of new disease cases such as asthma, coronary heart disease and lung cancer caused by air pollution.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

The Department started offering apprenticeships in 2015 (pre-Levy and the introduction of Government targets). We have taken a proactive approach to apprenticeships and are working to embed apprenticeships so that they are a core part of our learning and development offer. We continue to increase the take up of apprenticeships year on year and apprentices currently make up 3.8% of the Department’s 1,743 workforce.

15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterparts about the treatment of human rights defenders in that country.

Human rights defenders make an essential contribution to the promotion of the rights of their fellow citizens. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship including issues where we have them. These topics were among issues discussed by Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others during his recent visit to India (27-31 May).

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
18th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has discussed recent attacks against (a) Christian communities and (b) Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including the assault on the Church of Gethsemane on 19 March 2023, with his Israeli counterpart.

The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and calls for places of worship to be respected. We condemn the violence at the Church of Gethsemane on 19 March. Israel must ensure those responsible for attacks on Christians are held to account. We value the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of all parties respecting the historic Status Quo arrangements at Jerusalem's holy sites during Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen's recent visit to London and in my statement on 7 April.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that any funds raised for Ukraine through the UN system are disbursed to local civil society organisations leading the response on the ground.

The UK's humanitarian response is focused on early funding to the UN and partner humanitarian organisations in Ukraine, as well as a commitment to fund NGOs through UK Aid Match funding to the DEC Appeal. We expect that a significant proportion of UK humanitarian funding to UN agencies operating in Ukraine will be disbursed to Ukrainian NGOs as the UN often partner with local NGOs to help deliver humanitarian assistance. The UN and local NGOs also often work together through UN led humanitarian co-ordination structures in country. For example, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Ukraine is increasing their efforts to reach Ukrainian NGOs and encourage them to apply to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund either individually or through consortium.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
5th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people who have arrived in the UK through the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route can access their Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund from the UK using a British National (Overseas) passport.

Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Authority is unfairly disrupting people's livelihoods by refusing to accept the BN(O) visa when Hong Kongers apply for early withdrawal of their pensions. This is preventing Hong Kongers from accessing funds they are entitled to. The Government has raised our concerns with the relevant Hong Kong authorities.

Amanda Milling
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
28th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

As of 31 December 2019, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) employed 112 apprentices, of whom 62 work for our Trading Fund, FCO Services. We expect a further 51 staff to enrol on an apprenticeship by 31 March 2020.

2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to review the Help to Buy ISA maximum level which was set at £250,000 for properties outside London back in 2015, given the rise in the average costs of property.

As first-time buyers tend to buy smaller (and therefore cheaper) properties, the Help to Buy: ISA’s property price cap of £250,000 for properties outside London (£450,000 within London) allows the Government to target support more precisely at the people the scheme is intended to help.

While the Government keeps all savings policy under review, individuals with a Help to Buy: ISA can transfer their savings to a Lifetime ISA without incurring any penalties. The Lifetime ISA allows first-time buyers to benefit from the Government bonus when purchasing properties up to £450,000 anywhere in the UK.

Further information on the Lifetime ISA together with a comprehensive list other forms of home purchase support schemes can be found on the Government’s website below:

https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
26th Feb 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints he has received in respect of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 since its introduction on 1 October 2020.

The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.

Consequences for not complying with paying the NMW can include fines of 200% of the arrears, public naming and, for the worst offences, criminal prosecution.

HMRC have received no complaints in respect of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 since its introduction on 1 October 2020.

HMRC are undertaking a range of activities to highlight the change in the law to workers who are likely to be affected by it. HMRC have sent letters to employers across the UK to communicate the change in the law and are producing a series of multi-lingual leaflets to be distributed to workers to encourage them to come forward and make a complaint, if they think they have not been paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on tenant credit scores of rent arrears that have accumulated since covid- 19 lockdown measures started in March 2020.

Rental payments are not typically recorded on an individual’s credit file.

However, the Government identified that rental data could be used to contribute to the overall picture of a tenant’s financial position if it were recorded and shared in the same way as other credit payments.

That is why in 2018 the Government launched the Rent Recognition Challenge. This £2 million prize fund challenged firms to develop applications that enable rental tenants to record and share their rental payment data with lenders and credit reference agencies (CRAs) with the aim to help them boost their credit scores, access credit and get on the housing ladder.

The three winners of the challenge, CreditLadder, Bud and RentalStep, are now all using technology to verify and record tenants’ rental payments, which includes apps for borrowers to download and use. Since launching their rent recognition service, CreditLadder has recorded more than £250 million in users’ rental payments and Bud continue to work with large lenders such as HSBC.

Where a tenant who has chosen to have their rental payment data shared with a credit reference agency is in arrears, it could have a negative impact on their credit history and may restrict them from gaining access to credit in the future.

To ensure renters can continue to afford their housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has put in place an unprecedented package of support. These measures include increasing Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit and a significant investment in the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) of nearly £1 billion this financial year. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments funding is available.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
28th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether landlords securing a buy-to-let mortgage holiday in response to the covid-19 outbreak are required to pay back suspended payments on the remainder of the term of their mortgage.

Mortgage holidays have provided support for borrowers to manage their finances during a period of uncertainty. Borrowers will still need to repay the full balance of their loan, and will continue to accrue interest during the payment holiday, unless the lender has indicated otherwise. There are various options for managing this, for example, by increasing their remaining monthly payments, or by adding an extension to the term. Borrowers should talk to their lender to understand the options they offer.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
9th Dec 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce a duty on aviation turbine fuel sold in the UK after the end of the transition period.

The aviation sector currently contributes to the cost of public services through Air Passenger Duty (APD). The government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide an update on timing in due course.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that refugees who are (a) Ukrainian citizens and (b) third country nationals fleeing from Ukraine have safe passage to the UK.

Our humanitarian response has been developed in close consultation with the government of Ukraine and we will continue to support those who wish to come to the UK as a result of the current situation.

The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) allows Ukrainian citizens and their family members, including non-Ukrainian nationals, to come to the UK and is free to apply. Those who are eligible will receive an official permission letter from the Home Office that will enable their travel to the UK.

Third country nationals can apply for visas to come to the UK in the usual way.

12th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide passenger locator forms in languages other than English.

The rapidly changing landscape of international travel health measure requirements has placed considerable pressure on maintaining the technical development of the Passenger Locator Form; therefore, translation of the form has not been possible.

Each language added to the system increases the technical development time required, meaning the system could not be accurately maintained given the pace of policy changes as we have dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have though introduced a guide to support the completion of the PLF which has been translated into 22 languages and is available on GOV.UK. An animated video to support guidance on how to complete the Passenger Locator Form is also in production. This will be placed on GOV.UK and social media platforms.

We will look to introduce translation of the PLF in the future, however this will be dependent on a long-term stable policy for it across the 4 nations of the United Kingdom given the devolution of public health regulations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

20th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the patient consent process for people seeking asylum when sharing medical information with the her Department at registration.

There is not a specific patient consent process at registration which seeks to access a claimant’s medical records at this stage in the asylum process.

Individuals seeking asylum can be asked to complete a medical consent form at any stage in the asylum process where a specific issue or a concern is raised. This can be for a number of reasons which are usually related to safeguarding a vulnerable individual.

In terms of sharing information, all asylum claimants are made aware we may share information with other UK government departments or agencies, including the National Health Service, local authorities, asylum authorities of other countries, international organisations or other bodies. This is to enable us and other organisations to carry out their functions, including the prevention and detection of crime.

Claimants are also informed we do not disclose, to their own country, the fact they have claimed asylum in the UK, but we may share some information, for example, to help obtain travel documentation if their claim is refused.

We have recently updated our guidance on disclosure of information in asylum claims and it is available on gov.uk at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/disclosure-of-information-relating-to-asylum-applications

12th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the need for staff working in contingency asylum accommodation to have relevant experience for that role.

To ensure staff working in all asylum accommodation have the skills and experience for the role the providers have a training programme as required by the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC). Additionally, employees are subject to pre employment checks.

The contracts are published and the requirements of the contract are set out in the Statement of Requirements, this includes provisions around training and the training programme for those with face-to-face contact with our customers.

The Provider must fully equip and train staff (including volunteers) to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and ensure appropriate and sufficient security provisions are made for all staff undertaking face-to-face activities. Those with face to face contact must cover the following:

  • Ethnic diversity and cultural awareness
  • Suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention
  • Basic First Aid
  • Gender based violence
  • Fire Safety
  • Health and Safety
  • Vicarious Trauma
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Counter Terrorism
  • Modern Slavery

As a minimum, provider staff should receive refresher training on the requirements listed above annually (i.e. refresher training completed every twelve (12) months), or more regularly if required.

12th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the need for contingency asylum accommodation contracts to include training for frontline staff to understand the vulnerabilities of people seeking asylum.

To ensure staff working in all asylum accommodation have the skills and experience for the role the providers have a training programme as required by the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC). Additionally, employees are subject to pre employment checks.

The contracts are published and the requirements of the contract are set out in the Statement of Requirements, this includes provisions around training and the training programme for those with face-to-face contact with our customers.

The Provider must fully equip and train staff (including volunteers) to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and ensure appropriate and sufficient security provisions are made for all staff undertaking face-to-face activities. Those with face to face contact must cover the following:

  • Ethnic diversity and cultural awareness
  • Suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention
  • Basic First Aid
  • Gender based violence
  • Fire Safety
  • Health and Safety
  • Vicarious Trauma
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Counter Terrorism
  • Modern Slavery

As a minimum, provider staff should receive refresher training on the requirements listed above annually (i.e. refresher training completed every twelve (12) months), or more regularly if required.

28th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of staff employed by her Department are apprentices.

The number of staff currently employed in the Home Office as apprentices is 343, which is 0.99% of headcount (this does not include individuals in the pipeline, undergoing security checks). Further information is provided in the attached table.

17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, when the final guidance on Thank You payments for sponsors will be issued to local authorities.

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme and corresponding guidance is kept under review. The most up to date guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

16th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government's overall financial commitment to the Levelling Up Fund remains at £4.8 billion; how much the Government plans to make available for round two; and how many funding rounds there will be in total.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

16th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to round one of the Levelling up Fund prospectus and criteria, whether he plans to make changes for round two to the (a) classification of priority areas, (b) criteria for eligible bids by parliamentary constituency, in particular the approach where constituency areas cross local authority boundaries and types of bids likely to be supported and (c) themes of town centre/regeneration, culture and transport; and whether he plans to look for a split across the themes of transport, high streets/regeneration and culture when assessing bids for round two.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

16th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to round two of the Levelling Up Fund, when he plans to open that bidding round; what the deadline for that bidding round will be; and what his planned timetable is for announcing funding decisions from that bidding round.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

30th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support leaseholders affected by high costs associated with remedial fire-safety works and unsafe cladding who do not qualify for the Building Safety Fund or the loan scheme.

This Government has committed £5.1 billion of grant funding through the Building Safety Fund for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 18 metres. Building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders and we are introducing new measures that will legally require building owners to prove they have tried all routes to cover costs.

The Secretary of State is looking very closely at this issue to make sure that everything possible is being done to support leaseholders.

The Government remains committed to protecting leaseholders from unaffordable costs, who bought their flats in good faith and are innocent parties. Further detail on the support offer for leaseholders in residential buildings of 11-18 metres will be released when all options have been fully considered.

18th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication of the Household Resilience Study, Wave 2, what assessment he has made of the reasons that the proportion of private renters in arrears has increased during the covid-19 pandemic.

The latest published data from the English Housing Survey Household Resilience Study from November – December 2020, suggests that 9% of private renters are in arrears, compared to 3% pre pandemic. Of the 9% (353,000 households) in arrears, two thirds are in arrears of less than 2 months, indicating the Government package of economic support measures have effectively prevented a widespread build-up of rent arrears.

The full breakdown of reasons for difficulty in keeping up with rent payments is provided in Table T20 of the Household Resilience Study Wave 2: Wave 2 tables, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-resilience-study-wave-2.

13th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish (a) the total amount of business rates paid and (b) how much relief has been granted for each commercial airport operator in the UK.

The Department does not collect data on business rates paid, or relief granted, by type of business.

28th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

As of 31 December 2019, there were 53 apprentices in The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This is 2.3 per cent of the total staff employed within the Department.