Peter Bottomley

The National Archives has not received a direct request for information from Mr Clive Stafford-Smith for access to material relating to the investigation and prosecution of the Hosein brothers.

The National Archives received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on 02 June 2021 on behalf of one of the parties named for access to ten Crown Prosecution Service records (DPP 2/4806-4815) and one Attorney General’s Office record (LO 2/192).

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives applicants the right to know whether a public authority holds the information requested and to have it communicated to them, subject to any exemptions, which may apply. Some of the information contained within the requested files has been made accessible to the public, however the majority remained closed because the information is exempt under sections 38 (1) (a) and 40 (2) (by virtue of section 40 (3A) personal data exemption) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. As exemptions apply, The National Archives cannot make these records available to the applicant or to the public in general.

The FOI process is not subject to Ministerial or Prime Ministerial approval. There is, however, an appeals process in which any application of FOI exemptions/closure can be re-reviewed.

Outside of the FOI process, individual government departments may allow discretionary access to their historic files, having first recalled them from The National Archives for the purposes of review, as permitted by the Public Records Act (1958).

The National Archives has not received a direct request for information from Mr Clive Stafford-Smith for access to material relating to the investigation and prosecution of the Hosein brothers.

The National Archives received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on 02 June 2021 on behalf of one of the parties named for access to ten Crown Prosecution Service records (DPP 2/4806-4815) and one Attorney General’s Office record (LO 2/192).

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives applicants the right to know whether a public authority holds the information requested and to have it communicated to them, subject to any exemptions, which may apply. Some of the information contained within the requested files has been made accessible to the public, however the majority remained closed because the information is exempt under sections 38 (1) (a) and 40 (2) (by virtue of section 40 (3A) personal data exemption) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. As exemptions apply, The National Archives cannot make these records available to the applicant or to the public in general.

The FOI process is not subject to Ministerial or Prime Ministerial approval. There is, however, an appeals process in which any application of FOI exemptions/closure can be re-reviewed.

Outside of the FOI process, individual government departments may allow discretionary access to their historic files, having first recalled them from The National Archives for the purposes of review, as permitted by the Public Records Act (1958).

The Government has consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 for years to come. Our public consultation closed on 14 September. We have received around 60,000 responses, and we are carefully considering all the views and evidence we have received to inform the government’s policy-making and final decision.

The government wants Channel 4 to remain a public service broadcaster. Public service broadcasters - publicly and privately owned - have both benefits and obligations. Our consultation document outlines that we see the value in many of these obligations.

Channel 4’s ability to make distinctive content, and its work with independent producers are precisely the strengths we would protect and expect any potential buyer to look to develop and nurture, should we decide to proceed with a sale. We do not therefore subscribe to a false binary choice between public service remit and privatisation.

Indeed, we already have two privately-owned - and very successful - public service broadcasters in the examples of ITV and Channel 5. Both continue to deliver public service objectives.

Our consultation document outlines that the government sees the great value delivered to society through the obligations placed on Channel 4 to broadcast content appealing to diverse audiences. We have sought views on whether to retain or increase such obligations through our consultation.

We consider that Channel 4’s ability to reach a diverse range of audiences is a strength to be celebrated and maintained into its future, and that this is not at odds with private investment - in fact, this is an important facet of Channel 4’s brand that is likely to be an attractive asset to nurture and develop for any potential buyer.

We have consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 for years to come.

Our public consultation closed on 14 September. We are carefully considering the views and evidence we have received to inform the government’s policy-making and final decision.

As my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have both made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by Covid-19.

During this period, we are asking schools to support pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why, on 31 March, we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.

Voucher codes are being processed and many thousands of families are redeeming them. As of 28 April, Edenred have indicated that over 16,500 schools have placed orders for codes under this scheme. As of Friday 7 May, Edenred reported that over £58 million worth of voucher codes have been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families.

Schools can contact Edenred using either the email address or phone number setup specifically for the Department of Education’s national voucher scheme (freeschoolmeals@edenred.com or 0333 400 5932). We do not hold details of the time taken to respond to individual queries. We are working closely with Edenred regarding the performance of the voucher scheme and their engagement with queries from schools.

We are working tirelessly with Edenred to resolve any outstanding technical problems so that children eligible for free schools meals are supported quickly. As always, we thank schools for their patience while we expand the system to meet the high demand and for ensuring that the families who are most in need continue to receive the support that they require.

These are rapidly developing circumstances and we will continue to keep the situation under review and to keep Parliament updated accordingly.

As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Our latest guidance on providing free school meals at this time is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

Through the national voucher scheme, schools and families could initially access eGift cards for Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose and M&S. On Monday 27 April Aldi were added to this scheme and on Wednesday 29 April McColl’s were also added. As of the 7^th May, Edenred report that £58 million has been converted into supermarket vouchers by families and schools. We recognise that it may not be convenient or possible for some families to visit one of these supermarkets and we are continuing to work to see if additional supermarkets can be added to this list.

If families are not able to access any of the supermarkets which are part of the national voucher scheme, schools are able to purchase vouchers directly for alternative supermarkets. Schools can be reimbursed for the cost of these alternatives through the schools coronavirus exceptional costs fund, up to £15 per pupil per week. This funding covers unavoidable additional costs incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources.

These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

The Department does not hold data on the daytime occupancy rates of HGV parking places in Motorway Service Areas (MSAs). The National Survey of Lorry Parking (2018) contains data on night-time occupancy of HGV parking places across all lorry parks, including MSAs, which can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/723349/national-survey-of-lorry-parking-report.pdf.

The Department is currently tendering to update the National Survey of Lorry Parking to ensure strong and up to date evidence is available on the national picture of lorry parking demand to inform decision making. We expect this to be complete by September 2022.

Durrington-on-Sea is a category B2 station, which means that there is step-free access to both platforms and technically a step-free route between platforms. However, the step-free route between the two platforms is quite impractical as it is 0.6 miles via a nearby road-bridge on Shaftesbury Avenue. This is approximately a 12-minute journey for someone walking and the bridge is steep. Govia Thameslink Railway does not treat B2 category stations as accessible.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) monitors MOT testing capacity constantly to inform future planning. The agency does not hold data on MOT booking requests as they are made directly to MOT testing stations (cars) or authorised testing facilities (lorries, buses and trailers).

For lorries, buses and trailers, where DVSA staff conduct annual road worthiness (MOT) tests, the DVSA has issued a series of exemptions. The deadline for a vehicle’s next test depends on when the MOT was originally due and whether the vehicle qualifies for a 3-month or a 12-month exemption. These exemptions will be automatically applied. The DVSA is confident, with its plan for exemptions in place, that it can deliver to capacity to carry out tests when they are due. DVSA is working with industry to ensure that tests are presented when due, so that demand is managed.

For light vehicles, such as cars, where private garages carry out MOTs, a six month extension was applied automatically to all MOTs expiring between 1 April and 31 July 2020. The DVSA is working closely with the industry to help it manage demand for MOTs now extensions are no longer being issued. There is confidence the network of 23,000 garages that conduct MOTs will be able to meet demand for MOTs from light vehicle owners.

The revenue accruing from the Dart Charge is published each year in the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing charging scheme accounts (in the table headed income) which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/search/all?keywords=%22dartford+thurrock%22+accounts&order=relevance.

Toll charges were levied until 2003 when the debts associated with the construction of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and the tunnels had been fully discharged. A Road User Charge was introduced in 2003 to manage the high demand for use of the Crossing after a study reported that traffic levels would be 17% higher if payment was removed. The charges imposed and collected are used to fund transport improvements in accordance with the Transport Act 2000, though not exclusively Dartford-related.

The published accounts include figures on the maintenance and operation of the crossing in the expenditure table.

The maintenance cost for both the tunnels and Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, for the year ended 31 March 2019, amounted to £11.371 million. This figure included costs for:

The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive post-war governments for over 70 years.

Up-rating is paid to State Pension recipients in the UK, European Union, European Economic Area, Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, Serbia, Switzerland, The Philippines, Turkey, and the United States.

Information on the lowest full basic State Pension in payment, in each country where up-rating is not paid, is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.

The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated annually in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive governments for over 70 years.

As of November 2020, 473,842 State Pension recipients residing in the European Union or countries which are members of the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein) receive annual up-rating under various EU-Exit related agreements, including the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force in 2020 and the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 2021.

Other countries with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement also allowing for State Pension up-rating, the date in which the particular agreement was made, and the number of State Pension recipients residing in these countries (as of November 2020) are:

• Barbados (1992) – 3,849 recipients.
• Bermuda (1969) – 718 recipients.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina* (1958) – 31 recipients.
• Israel (1957) – 5,077 recipients.
• Jamaica (1997) – 10,807 recipients.
• Kosovo* (1958) – no data.
• Mauritius (1981) – 1,007 recipients.
• Montenegro* (1958) – 0 recipients.
• North Macedonia* (1958) – 121 recipients.
• Serbia* (1958) – 9 recipients.
• Philippines (1989) – 3,144 recipients.
• Turkey (1961) – 1,870 recipients.
• USA (1984) – 126,977 recipients.

*Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UK agreement with former Yugoslavia now covers Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Croatia and Slovenia are EU Member States covered by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The UK also has reciprocal social security agreements with New Zealand (1983) and Canada (1995) covering provisions for State Pension, but these agreements do not provide for annual up-rating. As of November 2020, 63,930 State Pension recipients reside in New Zealand and 126,426 recipients reside in Canada.

Source:

State Pension statistics by country of residence are currently available to November 2020 and these are available on Stat-Xplore here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

Disregarding any agreements which continued the existing arrangements for State Pension uprating, such as those with Ireland, the EU and Switzerland, the table below lists the four most recent social security agreements that provide for State Pension uprating with countries where the pension was not previously uprated. These agreements were approved by Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions or its predecessor Department.

As with most benefits, one of the basic rules of entitlement to UK benefits, including Universal Credit, is that a claimant must be resident in the UK at the time of application and satisfy other qualifying conditions. We have no plans to change this.

Universal Credit claims may be backdated by up to one calendar month in only certain circumstances for vulnerable claimants, who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates, to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.

FCO consular staff continue to provide advice and support to British nationals who face financial difficulties overseas due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Those in real financial distress whilst stranded overseas can seek advice and support from their local consular team, who will be able to advise on any local support that may be available as well as facilitate contact with friends and families who may be able to help. The FCO are also working with Non-Governmental Organisations to facilitate support to British nationals in need, including accommodation, food and medicine.

If a British national cannot afford travel costs back to the UK or essential living costs while they are waiting to return and have exhausted all other options they may be eligible to apply for an emergency loan from the government. These loans are interest free. This is a last resort option, with repayment required in full. However, the FCO would work with those British nationals’ currently stranded overseas to ensure flexible repayment plans are in place if they cannot afford to repay the loan within six months.

Pension abatement was temporarily suspended as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to resume in October 2022. The Department is keeping the position under review.

Abatement normally applies to staff who return to NHS service before the age of 60 years old having used a special reserved right to retire early from the age of 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Staff with these ‘special class’ pension rights have not paid extra contributions for this benefit, which is unavailable to other staff in the National Health Service. Abatement therefore ensures there is fairness to all scheme members. Staff without these special retirement rights are not subject to abatement after taking their pension. However, where abatement applies, staff with long careers can perform substantial amounts of work. Typically they can work at least half-time before reaching their abatement ceiling and the Department will ensure that staff potentially affected by abatement are aware of the amount of work which can be undertaken.

Pension abatement was temporarily suspended as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to resume in October 2022. The Department is keeping the position under review.

Abatement normally applies to staff who return to NHS service before the age of 60 years old having used a special reserved right to retire early from the age of 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Staff with these ‘special class’ pension rights have not paid extra contributions for this benefit, which is unavailable to other staff in the National Health Service. Abatement therefore ensures there is fairness to all scheme members. Staff without these special retirement rights are not subject to abatement after taking their pension. However, where abatement applies, staff with long careers can perform substantial amounts of work. Typically they can work at least half-time before reaching their abatement ceiling and the Department will ensure that staff potentially affected by abatement are aware of the amount of work which can be undertaken.

The Dentists Act 1984 requires overseas applicants to the General Dental Council’s register to undertake its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) to confirm they have the requisite skills and knowledge to practise dentistry in the United Kingdom. This legislation restricts system capacity, including the availability of places on the ORE exam. The Department is currently working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals to allow it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes open to international applicants.

Safety restrictions brought in as part of the COVID-19 response made it necessary for the General Dental Council to suspend Parts 1 and 2 of the ORE in April 2020. On 2 December 2021, it announced a planned sitting of the Part 2 exam in January 2022. The legislation also restricts Part 2 ORE places being offered to candidates where five or more years have passed since they first attempted Part 1 of the exam. Therefore, the General Dental Council has not been able to offer places for the January 2022 sitting to any candidates whose five-year period expired during the time that the ORE has been suspended. Before the pandemic, three sittings a year were offered for the Part 2 exam, each with a capacity of 144 candidates.

Officials are working with the General Dental Council to develop proposals which will provide candidates with additional time to take the Part 2 assessment in the future. We plan to consult on this proposed legislative change, alongside proposals to change the Council’s international registration processes, in early 2022.

Previously, NHS Test and Trace supplied tests directly to National Health Service distribution centres. However, from July 2021, we moved to the universal testing offer to enable staff to order directly from GOV.UK, and maintain a regular supply delivered to their home. This testing offer can be used by both NHS staff and volunteers.

NHS England has set a threshold of 60% of normal activity volumes for the first six months of 2021/22. Dental practices have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as possible, focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. There are also 718 urgent dental centres continuing to support the provision of services across England. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided a flexible commissioning toolkit to local commissioners to help focus the available capacity on those that need it most and to reduce oral health inequalities.

In Sussex, NHS England has offered practices additional funding for delivering appointments during evenings or weekends to patients who do not have a regular dentist. Two practices will be offering these sessions and NHS England are in the process of arranging additional services. There is no longer a requirement for registration in order to receive care.

There has been no change in the Valuation Office Agency’s (VOA) policy or practices when assessing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or bedsitting rooms for Council Tax. The VOA’s listing officers make their valuation decisions based on the facts in each case, with reference to relevant legislation and case law. As such, some HMOs are assessed as multiple dwellings and others as a single dwelling.

The VOA has a statutory duty to maintain an accurate Council Tax list. The VOA acts on information received from external sources, including local authorities and other taxpayers, if it is believed that a property’s assessment may be incorrect or needs to be reviewed.

Further information is available in the Council Tax Manual, practice note 6: premises in multiple occupation: www.gov.uk/guidance/council-tax-manual/council-tax-practice-notes#PN6

The Government has provided extensive guidance on the VAT treatment of cross-border goods and services following the end of the transition period and is committed to supporting businesses to enable them to continue to trade.

As with all tax measures, where new changes have been introduced, the Government includes its assessment of the impacts of the changes in Tax Information and Impact Notes. Notes for measures recently legislated for in the Taxation (Post-transition Period) Act were published alongside that legislation.

Details on public health funding for local authorities for 21/22 will be set out at the Spending Review on 25 November.

Investing in prevention is a vital part of the NHS Long Term Plan to help people live longer, healthier lives. In 2020/21, we invested £3.279 billion in local authority public health services through the Public Health Grant, in addition to what the NHS spent on preventative interventions such as immunisation and screenings.

An employee on a fixed term contract can be re-employed, furloughed and claimed for, if either: their contract expired after 28 February 2020 and an RTI payment submission for the employee was notified to HMRC on or before 28 February 2020, or their contract expired after 19 March 2020 and an RTI payment submission for the employee was notified to HMRC on or before 19 March 2020. The decision to furlough an employee must be agreed by both the employer and employee.

The Government is also supporting people on low incomes who need to rely on the welfare system through a significant package of temporary measures. This includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1 billion increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants.?These changes will benefit new and existing claimants. Anyone can check their eligibility and apply for Universal Credit by visiting?https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit. In addition, many freelance workers may be eligible for the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

The Government expects that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will not be used by many public sector organisations, as most public sector employees are continuing to provide essential public services or contributing to the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expect employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not furlough them. This also applies to non-public sector employers who receive public funding for staff costs. Organisations who are receiving public funding specifically to provide services necessary to respond to COVID-19 are not expected to furlough staff. In a small number of cases, for example where organisations are not primarily funded by the Government and whose staff cannot be redeployed to assist with the coronavirus response, the scheme may be appropriate for some staff. Employees on any type of employment contract are eligible for the scheme, including those on zero-hours contracts.

The Immigration Rules provide routes for someone who does not have leave in the United Kingdom to apply for leave to remain and regularise their stay.

Under the Family and Human Rights route a person and their dependents if appropriate can apply to remain on the basis their Article 8 Human Rights would be breached if they were required to leave the UK.

The statistics for people applying to stay in the UK permanently can be found at Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release, please note that these statistics are taken from a live database and are subject to change.

The statistics for the numbers claiming asylum can be found at asylum detailed datasets

The files in question are not owned by the Home Office, and so the department is not in a position to make decisions as to access. Officials are exploring this further with a view to directing the family to the appropriate body if possible.

Any authority in receipt of such a request for information will consider the request on its merits, according to their standard procedures, as the Home Office has.

The files in question are not owned by the Home Office, and so the department is not in a position to make decisions as to access. Officials are exploring this further with a view to directing the family to the appropriate body if possible.

Any authority in receipt of such a request for information will consider the request on its merits, according to their standard procedures, as the Home Office has.

The government is actively working on publishing the response to the consultation on the review of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and it will be published in due course.

The London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900 was considered ahead of the planning application for the Holocaust Memorial, submitted in December 2018, and has been considered subsequently in the context of a statutory review of the decision to grant planning consent.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I refer my Rt Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 141238 21 March 2022.

I refer my Rt Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 141238 21 March 2022.

As set out in the Secretary of State's statement to Parliament on Building Safety on 10 January 2022, building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders, and leaseholders living in their own medium rise buildings should not pay a penny to remediate historic cladding defects that are no fault of their own. We have clarified that we have no intention of excluding leaseholders who have moved out and sublet from the protections that will be in place (including those in shared ownership) for buildings below 18 metres in England. We will explore whether this support should extend to other leaseholders, such as buy-to-let landlords.

The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Parker v. Financial Conduct Authority was handed down on 25 June 2021 and in the public domain from that point. A letter from Mr Parker’s solicitors, addressed to the Secretary of State, was received on 18 October 2021 informing him of the Court of Appeal judgment and seeking compensation for Mr Parker’s loss. An initial holding response was sent by the HM Courts & Tribunals Service Customer Investigations Team on the 3 December 2021.

Letters from Mr Parker’s solicitors were received by the Ministry of Justice on 18 October 2021, 9 February 2022 and 7 March 2022. HM Courts & Tribunal Service Customer Investigations Team replied to these on the 3 December, 11 February and 31 March 2022. Ministerial correspondence was also received from the Honourable Gentleman on 16 and 30 November and 2 and 6 December 2021, to which former minister James Cartlidge MP replied on 14 December, and 4 April 2022, following which the Government Legal Department wrote to Mr Parker’s solicitors on 8 April. Emails from the Honourable Gentleman’s office were received on 7, 8, 13, 21, 28 June, and 6, 12, 14, and 18 July. Replies to these were sent from MoJ officials on 8 and 14 June, and 13, 15, and 18 July.

The Government Legal Department has written to Mr Parker’s solicitors outlining the Government position. It would not be right to comment on the specifics of this.

Under section 24 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, a tenant can apply to the Tribunal for the appointment of a manager. Tenants can also apply to the Tribunal for it to discharge or vary an order that has already been made. Tribunal decisions are only challengeable on appeal.

The link below provides useful background information:

https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/what-does-appointing-a-manager-mean/

The Tribunal does not have any powers to carry out an independent investigation or review performance of a court appointed managing agent.

The correspondence in this case has been under consideration since 26 October 2021 and relates to a complex appeal. The Ministry of Justice is required to consider all the relevant information before making a decision about potential payments on an individual case and hopes to provide a response shortly.

Ex gratia offers are discretionary, and the Ministry of Justice is required to consider all the relevant information before making a decision on an individual case. Correspondence relating to this specific case is currently being considered.