Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Bank of England introducing a dual interest rate policy with a lower rate for lending to green projects.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Chancellor most recently reaffirmed the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) remit at the Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023.
The Government recognises the importance of not overly expanding the MPC’s remit to allow the MPC to focus on its primary objective of price stability, as it rightly has. It is for the MPC to judge how it can best support the Government’s economic objectives using its monetary policy tools, subject to achieving its primary objective of price stability.
The Government has taken world-leading action to green the financial system, and we remain fully committed to that work.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his planned timetable is for the implementation of sections 22-29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The Home Office published the Illegal Migration Bill (IMB) Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on 10 May 2023. We are committed to taking the steps to ensure any potential impacts identified are appropriately mitigated when implementing the policy.
Where an individual has not made a protection claim and is granted immigration bail, support may be available under Schedule 10 of the Immigration Act 2016.
The Government is consulting with operational partners to implement sections 22 – 29 of the IMA. Guidance is under development which will support the operation of provisions in the IMA, once commenced.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will consult with service providers for the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract to ensure that implementation of sections 22-29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 will be trauma informed.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The Home Office published the Illegal Migration Bill (IMB) Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on 10 May 2023. We are committed to taking the steps to ensure any potential impacts identified are appropriately mitigated when implementing the policy.
Where an individual has not made a protection claim and is granted immigration bail, support may be available under Schedule 10 of the Immigration Act 2016.
The Government is consulting with operational partners to implement sections 22 – 29 of the IMA. Guidance is under development which will support the operation of provisions in the IMA, once commenced.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the potential impact of climate change on food price inflation.
Answered by Gareth Davies
The UK government has set ambitious carbon budgets and net zero targets to play our part in reducing emissions and the subsequent impact that climate change will have across the economy.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Bank of England’s progress on integrating (a) climate and (b) nature considerations into its operations.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The financial regulators’ primary focus must be to ensure the safety, soundness and integrity of the markets they regulate. While the government expects that the Bank will play a crucial role in supporting the achievement of the government’s net zero target, it is not their primary responsibility given many of the levers for change sit outside of financial services regulation.
However, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new regulatory principle for the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator to consider in their work. To further strengthen the UK’s regulatory regime relating to climate and the environment, the government has embedded the consideration of the UK’s climate and environmental targets across the full breadth of the regulators’ general functions on a statutory basis.
This regulatory principle seeks to cement the government’s long-term commitment to transform the economy in line with its target to reach net zero by 2050, and to make progress towards the government’s long-term environmental goals, by ensuring the regulators must have regard to the government’s commitment to achieve these targets when discharging their functions.
This principle does not create any specific requirements on firms. Rather, they are expected to inform the future work of the regulators.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of people under the age of 18 who have been referred into the national referral mechanism since July 2023 and who would be eligible to have their modern slavery support removed once they reach the age of 18 were sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 enacted.
Answered by Laura Farris
The modern slavery provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”) address the serious and immediate threat to public order arising from the exceptional circumstances around illegal entry into the UK.
The Public Order Disqualification in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was included in section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Section 29 of the 2023 Act amends section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act, expanding the cohort of individuals to whom the Public Order Disqualification applies. The 2023 Act also introduces, in sections 22-28, disqualifications from the NRM for those who are subject to the duty in section 2 of that Act, unless certain specific exemptions apply.
The Government is working on developing guidance regarding the operation of these measures which will be published when the provisions are implemented.
The published Illegal Migration Bill Impact Assessment sets out the monetised and non-monetised impacts of the legislation. The Impact Assessment did not produce monetised estimates of the number of individuals who would be in scope to have their support removed if sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 were enacted. As such, it did not produce monetised estimates for: potential victims of slavery supported under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract; individuals under the age of 18 who have been referred into the NRM since July 2023; or potential victims referred into the NRM. The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating the 2023 Act to monitor whether the measures introduced are meeting the objectives set and to provide insight on the process, impact and value for money of changes implemented.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of potential victims of slavery supported under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract that would be in scope to have their support removed were sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 enacted.
Answered by Laura Farris
The modern slavery provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”) address the serious and immediate threat to public order arising from the exceptional circumstances around illegal entry into the UK.
The Public Order Disqualification in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was included in section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Section 29 of the 2023 Act amends section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act, expanding the cohort of individuals to whom the Public Order Disqualification applies. The 2023 Act also introduces, in sections 22-28, disqualifications from the NRM for those who are subject to the duty in section 2 of that Act, unless certain specific exemptions apply.
The Government is working on developing guidance regarding the operation of these measures which will be published when the provisions are implemented.
The published Illegal Migration Bill Impact Assessment sets out the monetised and non-monetised impacts of the legislation. The Impact Assessment did not produce monetised estimates of the number of individuals who would be in scope to have their support removed if sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 were enacted. As such, it did not produce monetised estimates for: potential victims of slavery supported under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract; individuals under the age of 18 who have been referred into the NRM since July 2023; or potential victims referred into the NRM. The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating the 2023 Act to monitor whether the measures introduced are meeting the objectives set and to provide insight on the process, impact and value for money of changes implemented.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on the Department for Work and Pensions’ communication of changes, published on 20 July 2021.
Answered by Paul Maynard
It would not be appropriate to comment on the Ombudsman's report published on 20 July 2021. The Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing and section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
The Department is cooperating fully with the Ombudsman’s investigation and will carefully consider any findings that arise from the final report.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the extant Public Order Disqualifications (POD) for potential victims of modern slavery in cases where there is an immediate and real risk of re-trafficking will apply to those expected to receive PODs under the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
Answered by Laura Farris
The modern slavery provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”) address the serious and immediate threat to public order arising from the exceptional circumstances around illegal entry into the UK.
The Public Order Disqualification in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was included in section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Section 29 of the 2023 Act amends section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act, expanding the cohort of individuals to whom the Public Order Disqualification applies. The 2023 Act also introduces, in sections 22-28, disqualifications from the NRM for those who are subject to the duty in section 2 of that Act, unless certain specific exemptions apply.
The Government is working on developing guidance regarding the operation of these measures which will be published when the provisions are implemented.
The published Illegal Migration Bill Impact Assessment sets out the monetised and non-monetised impacts of the legislation. The Impact Assessment did not produce monetised estimates of the number of individuals who would be in scope to have their support removed if sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 were enacted. As such, it did not produce monetised estimates for: potential victims of slavery supported under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract; individuals under the age of 18 who have been referred into the NRM since July 2023; or potential victims referred into the NRM. The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating the 2023 Act to monitor whether the measures introduced are meeting the objectives set and to provide insight on the process, impact and value for money of changes implemented.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of potential victims of slavery referred into the national referral mechanism who would be in scope to have their support removed were sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 enacted.
Answered by Laura Farris
The modern slavery provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”) address the serious and immediate threat to public order arising from the exceptional circumstances around illegal entry into the UK.
The Public Order Disqualification in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was included in section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Section 29 of the 2023 Act amends section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act, expanding the cohort of individuals to whom the Public Order Disqualification applies. The 2023 Act also introduces, in sections 22-28, disqualifications from the NRM for those who are subject to the duty in section 2 of that Act, unless certain specific exemptions apply.
The Government is working on developing guidance regarding the operation of these measures which will be published when the provisions are implemented.
The published Illegal Migration Bill Impact Assessment sets out the monetised and non-monetised impacts of the legislation. The Impact Assessment did not produce monetised estimates of the number of individuals who would be in scope to have their support removed if sections 22 to 29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 were enacted. As such, it did not produce monetised estimates for: potential victims of slavery supported under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract; individuals under the age of 18 who have been referred into the NRM since July 2023; or potential victims referred into the NRM. The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating the 2023 Act to monitor whether the measures introduced are meeting the objectives set and to provide insight on the process, impact and value for money of changes implemented.