Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make it easier for tenants in rented accommodated to have pets.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many local authorities do not have a PrEP impact trial site.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that sufficient places are available in each clinic for the duration of the PreP trial.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support local authorities that do not have a PrEP impact trial prepare for routine commissioning.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available for EU citizens with (a) dementia and (b) other similar health conditions when applying for settled status given the possibility that they may have lost the necessary paperwork.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The EU Settlement Scheme is designed to make it simple and straightforward for EU citizens and their family members to apply to stay in the UK after we leave the EU. We are looking for reasons to grant status, not reasons to refuse, and the scheme is performing well.
The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all, including those requiring someone to make an application on their behalf. We are also engaging with relevant stakeholders, such as the Department for Health and Social Care, the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Devolved Administrations, to assess the needs of vulnerable groups and ensure they are met.
The Home Office has introduced a range of support for applicants, including assisted digital support at around 300 locations across the UK and the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre, open seven days a week, to provide help and information by telephone and e-mail. We have also provided up to £9 million of grant funding to 57 voluntary and community organisations across the UK to enable them to mobilise services targeted at vulnerable EU citizens.
Regarding specific support for (a) those with dementia and (b) other similar health conditions, such as those without mental capacity, the Home Office has designed a scheme that allows applicants to consent to an appropriate third party to apply on their behalf. This means that care givers, family members and friends can provide the necessary assistance to those who need it.
The Home Office is aware that a range of vulnerable applicants may face challenges in securing evidence to support their application. For this reason, we will in such circumstances accept a range of evidence of identity and residence on behalf of an applicant, working with the person making the application to establish the applicant’s eligibility based on all the evidence available. Caseworkers are trained to exercise discretion in the applicant’s favour where appropriate.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Red Arrows will go on tour to foreign countries in the next three years; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect on UK based air shows of future Red Arrows international tours.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Red Arrows have a long history of overseas tours showcasing Britain at its best and will continue to undertake them. However, at this stage future overseas tours have not been confirmed.
The RAF fully considers the overall benefits of Red Arrows tours around the UK and weighs this against the benefits of displaying overseas.
Whilst overseas tours may limit the number of displays the Red Arrows can give in the UK during the summer display season, considerable effort is made to maximise the Red Arrows appearances in the UK. The RAF's other display assets including Typhoon, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Falcons Parachute Team will continue to be available for airshows.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on pet owners of the implementation of the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The government has not made a specific assessment of the effect on pet owners of the implementation of the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Israeli Government on conducting a criminal investigation into the alleged shooting by the Israeli Defence Force of a 9 year old Palestinian boy, Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi on 12 July 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 October (PQ 291575). Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the death of Abd a-Rahman with the Israeli authorities, stressing the importance of protecting civilians, especially children. The British Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinian children killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We have raised the issue of excessive use of force, including use of live ammunition with both the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. We will continue to encourage the Israeli authorities to carry out transparent investigations on the use of live fire.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the publication of the Future of Mobility regulatory review.
Answered by George Freeman
The Future of Mobility regulatory review is a once in a generation opportunity to ensure our regulatory framework supports transport innovation.
The first key milestone will be a call for evidence which we plan to launch in autumn this year. We will use the responses to identify where reform is needed now to address areas with a pressing need for change. The responses will also help the Government clarify where further work is necessary ahead of more substantial changes to legislation over the next few years.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the Government's worst case contingency plans related to his remit on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Operation Yellowhammer is a cross-Government programme of work to ensure that the United Kingdom is prepared to deal with the potential reasonable worst-case scenario impacts of leaving the European Union without a deal.
On 11 September, the Government published planning assumptions for exiting the European Union without a deal at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-humble-address-motion
An updated version will be published in due course.
These include the Department’s planning assumptions relating to the continuity of medicines and medicine supplies, the provision of healthcare to UK nationals within EU Member States, and the provision of adult social care after we have left the EU. The Department maintains robust operational plans to ensure the continuity of services from the National Health Service and wider health and social care system, regardless of circumstances, and will continue to do so.