To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Dangerous Dogs
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the income raised from charges for certificates of exemption to keep an XL Bully dog have been ringfenced to (a) cover the administrative costs of the exemption scheme and (b) support local authorities to enforce the ban.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The application fee paid by XL bully owners on registering an XL Bully covers the administrative costs for the life of the dog, including processing the application and lifetime record management.


Written Question
Elizabeth Tsurkov
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Ms Elizabeth Tsurkov who was kidnapped in Iraq in March 2023.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq opened an investigation into her kidnapping last year and we await the findings. Those suspected of criminal responsibility for her kidnapping should be brought to justice in fair trials. However, as Elizabeth Tsurkov is not a British citizen, we are not in a position to offer direct consular assistance.


Written Question
Smoking: Health Services
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health trusts are implementing smoking cessation services.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 yearly deaths in the United Kingdom and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. Smoking is closely associated with poor mental health and wellbeing, as people with mental health conditions die 10 to 20 years earlier, with smoking contributing significantly to this. Further information on the wellbeing of smokers aged 18 years old and over, and the relationship between smoking and mental health, is available respectively at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoking-prevalence-in-adults-current-smokers-aged-over-18-years-by-wellbeing-group-and-region

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/26/health-matters-smoking-and-mental-health/

It also costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year. At the end of quarter three of 2023/24, 37 out of 48 Mental Health services identified as eligible under the NHS Long Term Plan, are reporting that they are delivering tobacco dependence treatment services.


Written Question
Bananas: Import Duties
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Department's planned timescale is for the review of banana tariffs.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement is due to commence in summer 2024. The agreement does not commit the UK to any further liberalisation of the market.


Written Question
British National (Overseas): Pensions
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5408, if he will publish his Department's communications with the Hong Kong authorities on facilitating early drawdown of pension funds.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK firmly opposes the discrimination that British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders are facing in applying for early withdrawal of their pension funds held by the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) in Hong Kong.

All representations to the Hong Kong authorities have been made via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or the Department for Business and Trade.


Written Question
Floods: Rotherham
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2024 to Question 9220 on Floods: Rotherham, how much funding has been allocated to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council via the Flood Recovery Framework since Storm Babet.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Flood Recovery Framework does not work on pre – determined allocations. Eligible local authorities are responsible for distributing flood recovery funding to affected households and businesses and the Government re-imburses those local authorities retrospectively, based on the certified costs of the eligible grants that they have provided.


Written Question
Dangerous Dogs
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 3839 on Dangerous Dogs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on resourcing for the implementation of the ban on American Bully XL type dogs.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

My Department continues to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure the successful implementation of the ban on XL Bully type dogs.


Written Question
Floods: Rotherham
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what funding has been made available to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for clean-up operations following recent flooding.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 9235 on 16 January 2024.


Written Question
Afghanistan: Development Aid
Friday 22nd December 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to paragraph 199 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons, if he will he make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department’s performance against that paragraph in his Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1578 on Afghanistan; and if he will take steps to improve the adherence of his Department to the principles set out in that Guide.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The FCDO holds data on how much aid we have provided for Afghanistan and our commitment to ensure that at least 50 per cent of those reached with our aid are women and girls. The FCDO does not hold the breakdown of how much UK aid has been allocated specifically to women-led organisations based in Afghanistan. We have not withheld information on funding allocations. The department is confident that the answer provided to PQ 1578 adequately meets the guidelines laid down by the Leader of the Commons in the Guide to Parliamentary Work.

The FCDO attaches great importance to the effective handling of Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) and recognises the importance of Parliamentary scrutiny.


Written Question
Cash Dispensing: Rotherham
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decline of free to use ATMs in Rotherham on residents.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups.

The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Importantly, in relation to personal current accounts the FCA is required to seek to ensure reasonable provision of free cash access services.

The FCA is currently holding a consultation on its proposed regulatory approach ahead of this coming into effect by Q3 2024: FCA Access to Cash Consultation

LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre.