Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Create a ‘National Sleep Strategy’ to end child bed poverty
Gov Responded - 23 Mar 2022 Debated on - 19 Dec 2022 View Sarah Owen's petition debate contributionsAs a teacher in 2018 I started a bed poverty charity, since then schools have referred 1400 children without beds. Bed poverty is affecting educational outcomes for children across the UK
A national sleep strategy must resource local authorities to identify, address and ultimately end bed poverty
Limit the Sale and Use of Fireworks to Organisers of Licensed Displays Only
Gov Responded - 13 Aug 2020 Debated on - 8 Nov 2021 View Sarah Owen's petition debate contributionsCurrent legislation allows for public use of fireworks 16 hours a day, every day, making it impossible for vulnerable groups to take precautions against the distress they can cause. Better enforcement of existing law is insufficient; limiting their sale & use to licensed displays only is necessary.
Grant an urgent Amnesty to Undocumented Migrants living in the UK
Gov Responded - 18 Mar 2021 Debated on - 19 Jul 2021 View Sarah Owen's petition debate contributionsUndocumented Migrants are suffering in silence, with no access to adequate Financial support, or any help. The Government should grant an urgent Amnesty of 5years to those with no criminal record so that they could live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy.
Improve Maternal Mortality Rates and Health Care for Black Women in the U.K.
Gov Responded - 25 Jun 2020 Debated on - 19 Apr 2021 View Sarah Owen's petition debate contributionsBlack Women in the U.K. are 5 times more likely to die during pregnancy and after childbirth compared to White Women (MBRRACE, 2019). We need more research done into why this is happening and recommendations to improve health care for Black Women as urgent action is needed to address this disparity.
Extend maternity leave by 3 months with pay in light of COVID-19
Gov Responded - 14 May 2020 Debated on - 5 Oct 2020 View Sarah Owen's petition debate contributionsIn light of the recent outbreak and lock down, those on maternity leave should be given 3 extra months paid leave, at least. This time is for bonding and social engaging with other parents and babies through baby groups which are vital for development and now everything has been cancelled.
These initiatives were driven by Sarah Owen, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Sarah Owen has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Sarah Owen has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to make provision about offences relating to the misuse of fireworks and penalties for such offences; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to extend entitlement to parental bereavement leave and pay to parents of babies miscarried or stillborn during early pregnancy; and for connected purposes.
Brain Tumours Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Siobhain McDonagh (Lab)
Teenagers (Safety and Wellbeing) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Alex Norris (LAB)
Brain Tumours Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Siobhain McDonagh (Lab)
Planning and Local Representation Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Rachel Hopkins (Lab)
Digitally Altered Body Images Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Luke Evans (Con)
The government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people and has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three-year investment of over £500 million in youth services.
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is anticipated to be almost £60 billion next year (FY 23/24). DCMS is committed to working with Youth Sector organisations and Local Authorities to complete the review of the Local Authority Statutory Duty Guidance for Youth Services.
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.
At the Budget, we announced a dedicated £63 million support package for swimming pools, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers. It will also help provide investment in energy efficiency measures to reduce future operating costs and make facilities sustainable in the long-term.
Details of the eligibility process will be published shortly, however, this fund will focus on those public swimming pool providers whose cost pressures are most acute, leaving them most vulnerable to closure. The Government intends for community and charitable trusts to be eligible to receive this funding. Sport England will manage a competitive application process and set out further detail on eligibility shortly.
I have not made any such representations. Parliament established IPSA as an independent body, and it is for them to make decisions on pay scales which are set following periodic reviews and based on market rate data and comparative benchmarking. The Speaker’s Committee maintains a constructive working relationship with IPSA and I know that it is always open to hear from honourable members on matters affecting the running of their offices. I understand that the GMB union has already raised this issue with the Chief Executive of IPSA and that he will be meeting with them in the near future to hear their views.
There are currently no plans for the Government as a whole to mark September as East and South East Asian Heritage Month. Individual departments may make their own arrangements, internally and externally, to recognise the occasion, and celebrate the achievements and contributions within the UK of people of East and South East Asian Heritage.
For existing staff of the House of Commons, the gender of those who have participated in the Valuing Everyone workshops is recorded as follows:
Male 1,211 (44%)
Female 1,007 (36%)
Not specified 513 (19%)
Prefer not to say 35
Prefer to self-describe 5
No gender identity 1
Total 2,772
For existing staff employed directly by Members, the gender of those who have participated in the Valuing Everyone workshops is recorded as follows:
Female 352 (62%)
Male 213 (38%)
Total 565
Bullying and harassment have no place in Parliament. The Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme was established in July 2018 and covers all members of the parliamentary community, including MPs. There have been two independent reviews of the ICGS since its establishment – the 6-month review and the 18-month review. Alison Stanley carried out both reviews, the more recent one concluding in February 2021. Alison Stanley noted in her report in February that there has been much progress on the implementation of the scheme since the 6-month review, but there are still improvements to be made, particularly around the time taken for investigations to conclude. Her review contained 36 recommendations which, when implemented together, will make a significant difference to those who use the scheme.
The ICGS team has already made progress towards implementing these recommendations in important areas such as speeding up investigations, streamlining the ICGS process, smarter policies and processes, improved accessibility and stronger communications.
All ICGS cases against MPs are investigated by members of a pool of independent investigators contracted to work with the House Service, overseen by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, who is herself independent and impartial. The Commissioner reviews the investigator’s final report, the accompanying evidence and the investigator’s recommendation. If the Commissioner finds that rules have been breached, she can require an apology to the House or, if she feels the sanctions available to her are not sufficient, can refer to the Independent Expert Panel.
The Independent Expert Panel was established in June 2020; its members were appointed on 25 November following fair and open competition. The Panel is entirely independent, with no MPs taking part in its decisions or able to influence them. It hears appeals and decides sanctions in ICGS cases where complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct have been brought against MPs. Sanctions could include the suspension or expulsion of an MP, which would then require a vote in the House. To date, it has published four reports on the conduct of MPs.
The Investment COP 2021 is an official side event of COP26 which offers a forum for business and investment-driven solutions to climate change.
Though the UK COP26 Presidency does not manage the Investment COP, we look forward to showcasing leading green businesses in UK Government managed spaces at COP26. I continue to encourage all businesses to join the Race to Zero, which requires businesses to set net zero targets by 2050 and have credible action plans to get there. There is an SME Climate Hub to help support SMEs to join the Race to Zero, which businesses and organisations in Luton North can visit here.
Following the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.
Following the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.
Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on the gov.uk website.
More generally, I refer the Hon. Member to the response by my Rt Hon Friend, the Transport Secretary of Official Report, 21 March 2022, Col. 43.
Cabinet Office worked closely with local authorities to successfully deliver voter identification pilots in 2018 and 2019. We continue to work with local authorities and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that voter identification works for all voters.
The Cabinet Secretary responded to this letter on 19 May 2021.
The existing regulations impose binding obligations on contracting authorities effectively to prevent, identify and remedy conflicts of interest. We propose to maintain these controls. Our broader proposals to strengthen transparency and non-discrimination measures complement these existing processes.
We also intend to publish new commercial guidance to assist government departments to develop and enhance local strategies, systems, processes and procedures to prevent, identify and remedy conflicts of interest in a consistent and effective way.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 55066 on 10 June 2020, and PQ 96936 on 7 October 2020.
To date, Covid-19 material has been translated into 26 languages, and has been made available to all local authorities as editable assets.
Working with the Cabinet Office, vaccine communications from DHSC have appeared in 600 national, regional, local and specialist titles, including BAME media for Asian, Bangladeshi, Bengali, Gujarati and Pakistani communities. To improve our understanding of vaccine hesitancy, we are now working with over 90 faith, healthcare provider networks, influencers and experts from a range of communities.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 55066 on 10 June 2020, and PQ 96936 on 7 October 2020.
To date, Covid-19 material has been translated into 26 languages, and has been made available to all local authorities as editable assets.
Working with the Cabinet Office, vaccine communications from DHSC have appeared in 600 national, regional, local and specialist titles, including BAME media for Asian, Bangladeshi, Bengali, Gujarati and Pakistani communities. To improve our understanding of vaccine hesitancy, we are now working with over 90 faith, healthcare provider networks, influencers and experts from a range of communities.
As we have said throughout the pandemic, we keep our measures under constant review.
The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that from 15 February anyone travelling to the UK from a country on the UK’s travel ban list will be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility for a period of 10 days. Full guidance for England is here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/booking-and-staying-in-a-quarantine-hotel-when-you-arrive-in-england
These actions provide further layers of protection to manage the risk of imported infections and protect our NHS while national lockdown and vaccinations take effect.
This Government is committed to realising the ambition set out in the Strategy for our Veterans of making the United Kingdom the best country in the world to be a veteran. There is a wide range of support available to veterans from central and local Government, the NHS and the third sector covering physical and mental health, housing, employment and finance, all underpinned by the Armed Forces Covenant. The Government is committed to continuing to improve this support and the 2020 Armed Forces Covenant Report sets out the progress we have made in doing so including the introduction of improved mental health services, a Veterans Railcard, a forthcoming national insurance break for employers and by making it easier for veterans to join the Civil Service. In addition over the last 12 months the Government has provided additional support through an additional £10m in the Budget and nearly £6m for the COVID 19 Impact Fund. Veterans in Luton North and across the country will benefit from this.
Information is accessible on the honours recipients page on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/culture-and-community/civic-participation/honours-recipients/latest
The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. Data on gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation is collected by asking recipients to complete a diversity survey. A summary of this data is published alongside each New Year and Queen’s Birthday Honours List and can be found at www.gov.uk/honours/honours-lists.
A breakdown of ethnicities of honours recipients is also published twice a year on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website. The declared ethnicity data for recipients included on the New Year Honours List 2021 will be published in due course.. Overall the most recent honours list saw 14.2% of recipients declaring a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background - the highest ever.
Honours recipients can choose to report their own ethnicity using the 2011 Census categories. Data is published for the following five aggregated ethnic groups because the number of honours recipients is small and the data is provided anonymously:
Asian
Black
Mixed
White
Other
Roughly around 10% of recipients do not provide any diversity information when accepting their honour.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. Data on gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation is collected by asking recipients to complete a diversity survey. A summary of this data is published alongside each New Year and Queen’s Birthday Honours List and can be found at www.gov.uk/honours/honours-lists.
A breakdown of ethnicities of honours recipients is also published twice a year on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website. The declared ethnicity data for recipients included on the New Year Honours List 2021 will be published in due course.. Overall the most recent honours list saw 14.2% of recipients declaring a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background - the highest ever.
Honours recipients can choose to report their own ethnicity using the 2011 Census categories. Data is published for the following five aggregated ethnic groups because the number of honours recipients is small and the data is provided anonymously:
Asian
Black
Mixed
White
Other
Roughly around 10% of recipients do not provide any diversity information when accepting their honour.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Under the Postal Services Act 2000, postal operators are authorised to recover customs or excise duties charged on imported postal packets, including those from the EU. Goods over £135 attract a VAT or Customs Duty. Postal operators may collect these charges on behalf of HMRC from the recipient prior to delivery. A handling fee is also applied to cover the associated administrative costs.
All international courier and postal operators charge fees for their customs support services, and the Government does not have any authority over the charges they make, as these are commercial decisions for the operators.
The Global Investment Summit 2023 was held at Hampton Court Palace on 27th November, the event took place during the day and no dinner was held.
Payments to Non-Executive Directors will be disclosed as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Annual Report and Accounts.
The UK has been a strong advocate for modernising the Energy Charter Treaty, recognising the urgent need to align it with modern energy priorities, international treaty practice and commitments on climate change.
The Government is assessing the situation regarding Energy Charter Treaty modernisation, considering stakeholder views in business, civil society and Parliament. The Government will keep the House informed of relevant developments.
Under the Online Safety Bill, all user-to-user and search services will need to put in place systems and processes to prevent their users from encountering priority illegal offences, including religiously aggravated public order and harassment offences. They must also swiftly remove other illegal content once it has been reported or they become aware of its presence.
Services which are likely to be accessed by children will also be required to protect child users from content and activity that is harmful to children, including content that is abusive or incites hatred on the basis of religion.
Where content does not meet the criminal threshold and is accessed by adults, the Bill will ensure that the largest services remove content that is prohibited in their terms of service, such as hate speech. These services must also offer their adult users tools which reduce the likelihood that they see certain categories of content, or alert them to the nature of it. These tools will specifically apply to content which is abusive, or incites hatred, on the basis of religion.
The Government and Ofgem jointly published an Electricity Networks Strategic Framework on 4 August 2022, which sets out a vision for the transformation of the electricity network needed to maintain our energy security while reducing emissions and our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Network regulation, including ensuring sufficient investment to deliver the capacity needed to meet demand, is a matter for Ofgem. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and electricity network operators to discuss their plans to support connections of low carbon technologies, including heat pumps.
The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve the energy efficiency of homes, including:
In addition, the Government has launched a digitally led service https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency launched in July to provide impartial, tailored advice to help people improve their homes.
The Government has been conducting research through the £16 million Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project on approaches to improving public interest and acceptance of heat pumps, with results due to be published later this year.
Heating engineers are not required to report to Government when they undertake heat pump training. Microgeneration Certification Scheme estimates of the number of trained heat pump installers in the UK are in line with Heat Pump Association estimates of the number of installers needed for current levels of deployment. As demand for heat pumps increases, the number of trained installers will need to increase further. Industry groups are confident there is enough training capacity to meet demand for heat pump upskilling as heat pump deployment increases to meet the target of 600,000 installations per year by 2028.
The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the UK is prepared to respond to current and emerging COVID-19 variants as quickly as possible. This includes:
The Government has confirmed we are planning for a booster programme to take place this autumn. The Vaccine Taskforce is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Health Service on this booster programme. The Government will publish further details on the booster programme in due course and the final policy will be informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. Details for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
The latest published data covers October to December 2020. Data for January to March 2021 will be published in due course.
The Supreme Court Judgment upheld Employment Status law as it stands. It is now for Uber and other gig economy businesses to ensure that they are fulfilling their legal responsibilities. The Government is considering options to further clarify the law.
As visiting peoples’ homes is an essential part of a meter readers job, they need to ensure they follow the Safer Working guidance.
When meter readers need to enter other peoples’ homes, they should take appropriate Covid-19 secure precautions such as socially distancing wherever possible, wearing a face covering or making sure there is appropriate ventilation.
As visiting peoples’ homes is an essential part of a meter readers job, they need to ensure they follow the Safer Working guidance.
When meter readers or other workers need to enter other peoples’ homes, they should take appropriate Covid-19 secure precautions such as socially distancing wherever possible, wearing a face covering or making sure there is appropriate ventilation.
In 2020, the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme received 58,138 applications. As of 18 January 2021, 9,054 vouchers have been rejected as they did not meet the scheme criteria.
Aerospace companies have been able to access the Government’s extensive Covid-19 business support measures, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. In addition, the aerospace industry and its aviation customers are being supported with around £9 billion made available through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees and support to exporters.
The Vaccine Taskforce is a unit within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consisting of around 200 staff. The steering group of the Vaccines Taskforce meets virtually 3 times weekly. This has been the case since May 2020.
The Vaccine Taskforce is a unit within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consisting of around 200 staff. The Department would not usually publish minutes of individual internal meetings that are deemed commercially sensitive and whilst Government policy is being developed.
The Nuclear Sector Deal, jointly authored by the Government and industry and published in June 2018, indicated that the nuclear sector contributes on average £12.4 billion to the UK economy each year, with each UK civil nuclear worker adding an average £96,600 in Gross Value Added (GVA).
Throughout the pandemic, inspectors from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) have continued to travel to the Hinkley Point C site to conduct urgent and essential regulatory inspections. These are to ensure that both the normal stringent health and safety requirements, and the COVID-19 social distancing measures, are being properly followed.
The ONR’s Chief Inspector has assured the Department that he is satisfied that EDF’s measures at the site are robust and comprehensive, and that they are being implemented and enforced appropriately.
The Government is supporting efforts to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. This includes reviewing regulations and scaling up manufacturing, so that when a vaccine becomes available, it can be produced quickly and in large quantities. To date the UK government has secured early access to 340 million vaccines doses through agreements with six separate vaccine developers. This includes agreements with University of Oxford’s vaccine being developed with AstraZeneca and agreements with BioNTech/Pfizer alliance, Valneva, Novavax, Janssen and GSK/Sanofi Pasteur.
The Government has also taken action to ensure the country’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities are scaled up, so that if a vaccine is found to be effective it can be made available to the public as quickly as possible. The Government has announced a £93 million investment to open the UK’s first dedicated Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre, and an additional £38 million for a virtual centre of existing capability, in order to begin manufacturing at scale in the near future.
Ministers and officials have regular engagement with a large number of businesses, representative organisations, and trade unions, including those from the Exhibition and Events sector, specifically for the purposes of COVID-19.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publishes details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, the national charities, will receive additional funding from the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) fund announced on 8 April. Both conduct vital work to support individuals manage the covid-19 outbreak, particularly by helping them find appropriate support. The additional funding will reflect this.
On 20 May, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that £200 million from the VCSE fund will be allocated for local charities to be administered by the National Lottery Community Fund. As local Citizens Advice are all individual charities, and not funded by central government, they will have the opportunity to apply to that funding pot where they meet the objectives.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 June to Question UIN 13827.