Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 612 on Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, when section 31 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 will come into force.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Appropriate protections for victims of harassment or stalking are vital. We are carefully considering implementation of section 31 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to ensure data and safeguarding protections are built into the process. As part of this consideration, we have included a provision in the Data (Use and Access) Bill to ensure that section 31 extends UK-wide, given the nature of the UK’s data protection framework.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what work the UK- Egypt Subcommittee of the Association Committee on Trade and Investment is undertaking; and when that committee will meet next.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Egypt Trade and Investment Subcommittee is a forum for promoting further trade and investment between our two countries, and the inaugural meeting was held on 18 July 2023.
At this meeting, market access issues, including ongoing regulatory collaboration in areas of shared priority and interest, such as renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and financial services, were discussed.
The Subcommittee meets as circumstances require and officials in the UK and Egypt work together on an ongoing basis on trade and investment issues.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children for whom no living parent was identified were allocated a legal guardian in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of special guardianship orders, however, information held centrally does not include whether the application was granted due to the child having no living parent. This information may be held on court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish guidance on the responsibilities of freeholders for the external areas of an estate on which leaseholder have secured the right to manage.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Guidance on the responsibilities of freeholders under the right to manage is provided by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) and is available on their website: https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/right-manage.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average time was for a consignment entering Sevington Border Control Post to leave following (a) a physical inspection and (b) any other inspection in each week since 30 April 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Monitoring and enforcing the border controls introduced under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is undertaken collaboratively between bodies including Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Border Force and HMRC.
Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk: It would be inappropriate for us to set out operational details such as the exact inspection details from 30 April.
Checking details, such as time taken to review consignments, could be used by bad actors looking for exploitable elements of the border to facilitate illegal imports.
Furthermore, this information is also commercially sensitive. HMG does not wish to impact trader choice of route as details of checks completed may advantage/disadvantage other ports as traders may BCP shop to find what appears on paper to be the “fastest route”.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to respond to the letter from the UN Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders under the Aarhus Convention of 12 March 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK welcomed the creation of the Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders under the Aarhus Convention.
The Government is considering the issues raised in the Special Rapporteur's two recent letters, in the context of the UK's obligations under the Aarhus Convention.
We will respond in due course.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the value of income tax exemption under the workplace nursery scheme in each year from (a) 2018-19 to (b) 2023-24.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publishes the estimated cost to the Exchequer and number of claimants of various tax reliefs.
The estimated value of Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance Contributions relief for “Employer Supported Childcare including workplace nurseries” can be found in the “Multiple_tax_types” worksheet of Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2023).
The figures include three forms of employer-supported childcare (ESC): workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare. Use of these reliefs is not reportable to HMRC and so administrative data on their use is not available, nor is a detailed breakdown between the three forms of ESC. The introduction of Tax-Free Childcare and closure of childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare to new entrants leads to the continuing reduction in the cost of ESC.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help residents of the Union Island.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Hurricane Beryl passed through the Caribbean at the beginning of July, devastating several islands in the Grenadines, including Union. On 5th July, the Foreign Secretary responded by increasing available UK response funding up to £500,000. This money has allowed us to send emergency shelter kits (capable of supporting up to 4,000 people) and freshwater storage solutions (for over 1,600 families) to affected islands, which included Union Island. The UK also supported the deployment of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) emergency response teams to assess needs and assist with relief, logistics and telecoms. St Vincent and the Grenadines also received US$1.86 million from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), to which the UK was a founder donor.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the value of national insurance contributions that were exempted under workplace nursery schemes in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2023-24.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publishes the estimated cost to the Exchequer and number of claimants of various tax reliefs.
The estimated value of Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance Contributions relief for “Employer Supported Childcare including workplace nurseries” can be found in the “Multiple_tax_types” worksheet of Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2023).
The figures include three forms of employer-supported childcare (ESC): workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare. Use of these reliefs is not reportable to HMRC and so administrative data on their use is not available, nor is a detailed breakdown between the three forms of ESC. The introduction of Tax-Free Childcare and closure of childcare vouchers and directly contracted childcare to new entrants leads to the continuing reduction in the cost of ESC.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of rebuilding Whipps Cross Hospital; and what his expected timetable is for when this funding will be made available to Barts Health NHS Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the immediate issues affecting the National Health Service and is determined to fix them. We also recognise the need for investment in our estate across the country, including at Whipps Cross University Hospital, North East London.
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked for an urgent report on the degree to which the New Hospital Programme is funded and a realistic timetable for delivery. He will consider this carefully then report back to patients, clinicians and local communities to confirm revision, if any, to the schedule.