Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with the reference to the UN Inquiry into the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the UK, published in October 2016, what steps she is taking to help protect the human rights of disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is committed to boosting opportunity and protecting the rights of disabled people. We will work closely with disabled people and their representative organisations to ensure that their needs and voices are at the heart of everything we do.
As a first step, our Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for disabled people and disability pay gap reporting for large employers.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on (a) obesity, (b) the prevalence of eating disorders and (c) other issues.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Legislation requiring large businesses in England, those with 250 or more employees, to display calorie information on non-prepacked food and soft drinks came into force in 2022. It aims to support consumers to make healthier choices for themselves and their families when eating out or getting a takeaway, with clear information about the calorie content of potential purchases. It may also encourage businesses to reformulate and provide lower calorie options, helping to create a healthier food environment.
The published impact assessment estimated that by lowering calorie consumption amongst people living with overweight or obesity, the policy would produce National Health Service savings of £430 million and social care savings of £477 million over 25 years.
We continue to evaluate the impact of the Out of Home Calorie Labelling Regulations, including on people living with eating disorders. We will publish a post-implementation review within five years of implementation which will consider the effectiveness of the policy.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of NHS hospital equipment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Darzi review made it clear that the NHS has been starved of capital, with outdated scanners and is 15 years behind the independent sector in its use of technology.
We will make the NHS fit for the future, replacing outdated equipment and providing hospitals with the latest technology.
This will provide quicker, more effective, efficient diagnosis and a better experience for patients.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Association of Funeral Directors report entitled Picking up the pieces, published in April 2023, if she will (a) make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of that report's findings on the number of families that have waited more than four weeks for a funeral and (b) hold discussions with local authorities on coordinating work between (i) health services, (ii) coroners, (iii) undertakers and (iv) others highlighted in that report.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Death management is a complex and sensitive area, spanning the work of multiple government departments. Whilst the Government does not have operational responsibility for the provision of funeral services, we are aware of funeral delays in some areas and acknowledge that these are often exacerbated by pressures from within the wider death management system. Death management policy sits across a number of government departments and responsible departments take a collaborative approach to addressing concerns in this area and are committed to continuing to work together, and with local authorities, to improve timeliness and services provided to the bereaved.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
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 support businesses in rural areas.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. Over half a million business are registered in rural areas, with the rural economy contributing over £315 billion a year to England alone.
The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. To achieve this, we are ensuring that the needs of people and businesses in rural areas are at the heart of policymaking.
That starts with delivering a new deal for farmers including cutting energy prices by setting up GB energy, ensuring future trade deals are fairer for British farmers, and procuring more British produce in Government.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for delivery of the fourth wave of the School Rebuilding Programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has selected 513 schools for the School Rebuilding Programme. Several rebuilding projects have been completed under the programme, with many more at various stages of delivery. Where schools have not yet started a feasibility study, start dates will be communicated at least a month in advance.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Minister for Veterans Affairs will provide the Independent inquiry into alleged unlawful activity by UK Special Forces during deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan the names of officers that contacted him with information on such alleged activity.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
This question relates to ongoing legal proceedings therefore it would be inappropriate to provide any commentary until the legal process has concluded.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many national security data breaches were recorded (a) within his Department and (b) by armed forces personnel deployed overseas in 2023.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence is unable to disclose this information for national security reasons.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the potential merits of reviewing regulations on online political campaigning before the next General Election.
Answered by Simon Hoare
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the number of people in receipt of both Child Maintenance payments and Universal Credit.
Answered by Paul Maynard
At the end of the quarter ending September 2023, 353,000 Receiving Parents were also claiming Universal Credit.
Please note that Child Maintenance payments are not considered during the calculation of Universal Credit and Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.