Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of raw sewage being discharged into the UK's waterways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Tackling the harm caused by sewer overflows is a top priority for this department.
I have met water company CEOs and made clear that the volume of sewage discharged into rivers and other waterways in extreme weather must be reduced.
To achieve this, the new Storm Overflows Taskforce - bringing together the Government, the water industry, regulators and environmental NGOs - has agreed to set a long-term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows. The Taskforce is meeting regularly and working on plans to make progress towards that goal, and has commissioned research to gather evidence on the costs, benefits and feasibility of different options.
As announced on 11 May, we are putting forward amendments to the Environment Bill that will help to reduce the harm that storm overflows cause to our waterways. We are introducing new duties that will require the Government to publish a plan by September 2022 to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows and to report progress to Parliament on implementing that plan. We are also introducing duties requiring water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operations on an annual basis. These legally binding obligations on water companies and the Government will reduce pollution in rivers – protecting wildlife and public health.
Water companies are currently committed in the 5-year business planning period (2020-25) to a significant programme of improvements to the monitoring and management of storm overflows at a cost of around £1.1 billion. This investment includes undertaking 800 investigations and 798 improvement schemes to provide environmental improvements by reducing spills from frequently spilling overflows.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce misogyny and the treatment of women onto the national curriculum in Personal, Social, Health and Economic education for children aged 11 to 16.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to support all young people to lead happy, healthy and safe lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference. That is why the Department has made the new subjects of Relationships Education (for primary school pupils), Relationships and Sex Education (for secondary school pupils) and Health Education (for all pupils in state-funded schools) compulsory from September 2020.
The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance specifically advises schools to be alive to issues such as sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and gender stereotypes, and to take positive action to tackle these issues. Statutory guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education involves supporting children to learn about what healthy relationships are and their importance, as well as how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. In secondary schools, relationships education broadens to become age-appropriate relationships and sex education and will include factual knowledge around sex, sexual health, and sexuality, set firmly within the context of relationships.
Specifically, at secondary school pupils should be taught about the concepts of and laws relating to sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence and female genital mutilation.
To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence we have produced RSHE Teacher Training Modules which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. Each module covers safeguarding to make sure teachers, pastoral staff and the designated safeguarding lead are equipped to deal with sensitive discussions and potential disclosures.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department has provided to international students studying in the UK during the covid-19 outbreak to help mitigate for the diminished opportunities available to those students to undertake casual work alongside their studies.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak has had unparalleled impact on all elements of the global and UK economy, and this academic year has been difficult for all students.
To protect students at this unprecedented time, particularly those who may have been planning to undertake a part time job, we have made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to higher education providers in the 2020/21 academic year. This is in addition to the £256 million of government funded student premium funding already available to higher education (HE) providers to draw on for this academic year, 2020/21.
Providers have flexibility in how they distribute this funding to their students, in a way that best prioritises those in greatest need. Support can include help for students, including international students and postgraduates, facing additional costs arising from having to maintain accommodation in more than one location or assistance to help students access teaching remotely.
The current measures aim to target support for students in greatest need, and we have been consistently clear that if an international student needs to request access to hardship funds through their provider due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, they can be confident in expressing these concerns to their provider without any impact on their immigration status.
The HE sector has also led some valuable work in this area. For example, Universities UK international published guidance for universities to support international students in financial hardship, and in March they wrote to all UK-based embassies to ensure international students are aware of the support available to them if required. This guidance is available here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/guidance-support-international-student-hardship-pandemic.aspx/.
To further support students in finding work post-graduation, the department has worked with the HE sector to understand what more we can do to support graduates who are looking to enter the labour market at this challenging time. In response, we have developed the Graduate Employment and Skills Guide, which was published on Monday 10 May 2021 on the Office for Students website. The guide signposts graduates to public, private and voluntary sector opportunities, to help students build employability skills, gain work experience or enter the labour market, as well as providing links to further study options and resources on graduate mental health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle financial crime and protect individuals and businesses from fraudulent investment schemes.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK has been recognised as world leading in its response to economic crime. Criminals, however, are continuously adapting their methods and we know there is more work to be done to tackle financial crime and fraud.
In 2019, the Government and private sector jointly published a landmark Economic Crime Plan. This Plan provides a collective articulation of 52 actions being taken by both the public and private sectors over the next three years to ensure the UK cannot be abused for economic crime.
The Government has also agreed an ambitious framework for a Fraud Action Plan, covering years 2022 to 2025. This will include the Government working with industry, the intelligence services, law enforcement, and all partners to tackle fraud. The Home Office are developing the Fraud Action Plan and the Government will publish this after this year’s spending review.
Regulation also plays an important part in reducing the risk of fraud to consumers. As part of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) responsibility to ensure the integrity of UK financial markets, the FCA requires all authorised firms to have systems and controls in place to mitigate the risk that they be used to commit financial crime. Whilst the police have primary responsibility for investigating fraud the FCA also has powers to take a variety of enforcement action against firms that carry out fraudulent activity. The Treasury continues to keep the legislative framework under review to ensure that it is effective in reducing the risk of fraud.
The Government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will issue a condemnation of the planned Durban IV proceedings in September 2021 at the United Nations General Assembly, marking the 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism held in Durban in 2001.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.
The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the upcoming events marking the 20th anniversary of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, what steps the UK is taking to prevent antisemitism within the United Nations.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.
The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recent upsurge in catalytic converter thefts, if her Department will take steps to ensure that insurance companies do not impose higher excesses or premiums on future policies as a result of those crimes.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises the negative impact these thefts cause to victims. That is why we continue to work closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, established by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime and overseen by the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce, to understand what more can be done to tackle the theft of catalytic converters. Representatives from the insurance industry continue to collaborate with us through the Working Group and are aware of the challenges faced by vehicle owners.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the next stage of the NHS People Plan.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS People Plan is a shared programme of work to grow the workforce, support new ways of working and develop a compassionate and inclusive workplace culture in order to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.
We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and with systems and employers to determine our workforce and people priorities beyond April 2021 to support the recovery of National Health Service staff and services.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total amount of financial support provided to each local authority in England during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
MHCLG works with other government departments to ensure local authorities are fully supported to deliver their vital role in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, we have allocated over £8 billion so far to support local authorities during the pandemic. This includes £7.5 billion allocated directly to councils to address expenditure pressures, and over £500 million of payments from the first round of our sales, fees and charges compensation scheme. This does not include the £3 billion of additional financial support committed to councils for the COVID-19 response in 2021-22.
A full breakdown of the funding we have captured in this assessment is set out below:
Fund Name | Funding (£m) |
COVID-19 2020/21 emergency unringfenced funding for LAs (Tranches 1-4) | 4,607 |
Contain Outbreak Management Fund | 978 |
Infection Control Fund | 1,146 |
Adult Social Care Rapid Testing Fund | 149 |
Workforce Capacity Fund for Adult Social Care | 120 |
Local authority compliance and enforcement grant | 30 |
Funding to support the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable | 33 |
Reopening High Streets Safely Fund | 50 |
Next Steps Accommodation Programme | 92 |
Emergency Support for Rough Sleepers | 3 |
Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies | 63 |
Additional Funding for Home to School Travel | 71 |
COVID Winter Grant Scheme | 170 |
SFC Compensation Scheme (first round) | 528 |
Total | 8,040 |
Attached is a breakdown of this £8 billion of funding by region and by local authority. This reflects the department’s current best understanding and further payments will be made to local authorities this financial year in due course including: additional funding from further rounds of the sales, fees and charges scheme; and additional funding that will be provided through the Contain Outbreak Management Fund to tackle the spread of the virus – worth over £225 million a month during the national lockdown.
Also attached is a breakdown in relation to England’s ceremonial counties. For this, the following caveats apply:
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to elderly residents in (a) West Bromwich East constituency and (b) the wider West Midlands who live alone in assisted living accommodation.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have published national guidance for the public, which includes advice for older people and will be relevant for those who live alone in assisted living accommodation in West Bromwich East and the wider West Midlands. The guidance can be found at the following link:
In addition, the NHS Volunteers Responders Programme is a national scheme which provides companionship and support to those who may be isolated from contact with others, including through the check in and chat service. The Programme will continue to be available until at least March 2021.