Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people with disabilities in the UK that (a) stopped receiving a mobility allowance and (b) lost access to the Motability Scheme as a result of reaching state pension age in 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) before reaching state pension age, are still entitled to their award after reaching state pension age.
No claimant over state pension age will lose their mobility component or access to the Motability scheme providing they continue to meet the qualifying conditions of the benefit.
During 2022-23, an average of 226,000 PIP claimants of pension age received the enhanced mobility award in England & Wales. Any claimant in receipt of enhanced rate mobility can choose to exchange this for a lease on a Motability car, powered wheelchair or scooter.
We do not hold data on how many PIP claimants over state pension age choose to use the Motability scheme.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the England and Wales Cricket Board on (a) racism and (b) discrimination in cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear that racism has no place in cricket, sport, or society at large. I regularly meet with the England and Wales Cricket Board to discuss a range of issues, including equality, diversity and inclusion.
It is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies, to decide on the specific aims, appropriate initiatives and funding to tackle discrimination in their organisations.
The ECB has provided a full response to the 2023 Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, and has publicly committed to taking on board the majority of the recommendations to create lasting change across the sport. We welcome the ECB’s commitment to tackle these serious issues and secure a sustainable future for the sport. Government will be monitoring closely to ensure that progress is made.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase participation of (a) girls and (b) women in cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting women's sport at every opportunity including pushing for greater participation.
We are pleased to see the significant progress in the number of women and girls taking up cricket in recent years, and wider developments in the women’s game, as noted by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s five year plan, Inspiring Generations, launched in 2020 aims to inspire a new generation to believe that ‘cricket is a game for me’. The plan focuses on six priority areas including making cricket gender-neutral with women and girls being properly represented across the whole game.
Initiatives like Chance to Shine, which receives funding from Sport England, play an important role in encouraging girls to play cricket. The project gives all children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report notes that while positive progress has been made in the women’s game, there are still areas of concern where more action is needed.
The ECB has provided a full response to the ICEC report and has committed to taking on board the majority of the recommendations to create lasting change across the sport. We welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues and secure a sustainable future for the sport, and look forward to receiving updates on this.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce step-free access at Heaton Chapel Station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The platforms at Heaton Chapel are accessible by ramp. There is not currently a lift, but Rail North Partnership (RNP) works closely with Northern Trains, Network Rail, Transport for the North and its members, including Transport for Greater Manchester, to identify opportunities to improve access to stations for every passenger in the North as part of the operator’s Annual Business Planning process.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14383 on Avanti West Coast: Catering, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Avanti West Coast's planned end to cash payments for onboard catering to revenue.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Catering services are a commercial matter for each train operating company. Train operators are responsible for considering the equality impacts of operational changes such as to catering payment methods, and are expected by the Department to take local needs into account.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14383 on Avanti West Coast: Catering, whether his permission was required in order for Avanti West Coast to progress its proposed end to cash payments for its onboard catering services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Catering services are a commercial matter for each train operating company. Train operators are responsible for considering the equality impacts of operational changes such as to catering payment methods, and are expected by the Department to take local needs into account.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons his Department is yet to publish its response to the consultation entitled Pavement parking: options for change.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department received over 15,000 responses covering tens of thousands of open comments. Each one has been read and considered, and we are continuing to work through the policy options and the legislative choices for delivering them. We want to take the right steps for communities and ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal. As soon as the Department has determined this approach, we will publish our formal response.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of repossessions by county court bailiffs there were in landlord cases in Stockport local authority area in 2023.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government publishes quarterly statistics on repossessions by county court bailiffs in landlord cases, and the volume of accelerated possession claims in which the landlord had served a section 21 eviction.
The statistics can be accessed here.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many accelerated possession claims in which the landlord had served a section 21 notice were brought to the courts in the Stockport local authority area in 2023.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government publishes quarterly statistics on repossessions by county court bailiffs in landlord cases, and the volume of accelerated possession claims in which the landlord had served a section 21 eviction.
The statistics can be accessed here.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has a policy on engagement between British diplomats at the Embassy and High Commission level at global British missions and Official Opposition hon. Members.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO policy on engagement between parliamentarians and officials in our overseas Posts and in the UK sets out that all engagement must adhere to the principle of political impartiality, remain factual and focused only on current government policy, and follow correct clearance processes as outlined in the Civil Service code and Directory of civil service guidance, which can be found at GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).