Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on delivering additional medical scans, tests and check-ups.
Answered by Will Quince
As part of our work to bust the Covid backlogs we have so far rolled out 89 Community Diagnostic Centres that have delivered over 2 million additional tests since June 2021, and will deliver capacity for up to 9 million additional tests a year from 2025.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU on the validity for travel of UK passports with less than six months remaining until their expiry date following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Foreign Secretary speaks regularly to his EU and Non-EU counterparts to promote the interests of British citizens. For travel to the Schengen Area, the passports of third-country nationals must be issued less than 10 years before the date the individual enters and be valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave the Schengen Area. We encourage UK passport holders to check their passport meets these requirements before they travel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly updates travel advice on passport requirements in line with guidance from HM Passport Office.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of airline companies on the validity for travel of UK passports with less than six months remaining until their expiry date following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
The Secretary of State speaks regularly to airline stakeholders on topical issues.
All relevant information on passport validity requirements is published on the travel advisory pages of GOV.UK which are regularly updated.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) her counterparts in the EU and (b) airline companies on the validity for travel of UK passports with less than six months remaining until their expiry date, following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Engagement with foreign authorities on the acceptability of UK travel documents is a matter for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Engagement with airlines and other carriers on the acceptability of UK travel documents is a matter for the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Article six of the Schengen Borders Code applies to UK citizens travelling to the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Article 6 of the EU's Schengen Borders Code applies to UK nationals when travelling to Schengen Area Member States. UK nationals legally resident in a Member State are exempt from these checks when travelling to their country of residence.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are in the EU but they are not part of the Schengen Area. UK nationals travelling to these countries can expect similar checks as set out in Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code. We advise UK nationals to check the FCDO's travel advice pages on GOV.UK for the latest information on travel to Europe.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to amend planning regulations for installing solar panels on roofs in (a) conservation and (b) other areas.
Answered by Lee Rowley
To support the generation of renewable energy there are a range of nationally set permitted development rights that allow for the installation of micro-generation equipment, including rooftop solar panels on domestic and non-domestic properties, without having to make a planning application.
We will keep the existing permitted development rights for solar equipment under regular review.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made for the implication of his policies of the Institution of Civil Engineer's recommendation that the National Infrastructure Strategy should be on a statutory footing to provide more clarity and guidance on where the UK Infrastructure Bank should focus.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
As the Prime Minister set out earlier this month, the government is committed to delivery of infrastructure commitments – including those set out in the National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS) – to improve the UK’s energy security, transport networks and digital connectivity. There are no plans to legislate for the NIS.
The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) was established in June 2021. Since then, it has entered into 10 deals worth a total of £1 billion, investing to drive economic growth and to strengthen the UK’s energy supply. The former Chancellor wrote to the UKIB on 18th March 2022 to set out his strategic priorities for the Bank. This letter has been published and is available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
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 impact of narrowing the eligibility criteria for influenza vaccination and the JCVI's advice to reduce the age cohort for the autumn covid-19 booster programme; and whether that change would place increased pressure on NHS capacity during the winter season.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 15 July 2022, the Government provided an update on the COVID-19 autumn booster programme and flu vaccination programme. This included the expansion of the eligibility criteria for flu vaccinations to be offered to all adults aged 50 years old and over and secondary school children in Years 7, 8, and 9 in England. These additional groups will be eligible once the most vulnerable, including previously announced pre-school and primary school children, those aged 65 years old and over and those in clinical risk groups have been offered the vaccination. This expansion aims to reduce the level of serious illness and subsequent pressure on the National Health Service.
the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice to offer an autumn booster vaccination to increase immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and protect against severe illness, hospitalisation and death in winter 2022/23. The booster dose will be offered to residents and staff in a care home for older adults; all adults aged 50 years old and over; those aged five to 49 years old in a clinical risk group or who are household contacts of someone with immunosuppression; frontline health and social care workers; and carers aged 16 years old and over. This aims to increase immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and protect against severe illness, hospitalisation and death in winter 2022/23.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has secured funding from product manufacturers for building safety remediation works.
Answered by Marcus Jones
In January we asked product manufacturers to make a public funding commitment by March. While many responsible developers have pledged to pay their share of costs, manufacturers have failed to deliver. The previous Secretary of State informed the Construction Products Association (CPA) that this is unacceptable, and that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to hold those companies to account.
Our Building Safety Act gives developers, freeholders and leaseholders new legal remedies against manufacturers whose products fail to comply with regulations. The new Recovery Strategy Unit will identify and pursue individuals and firms that fail to do the right thing, including through the courts if necessary.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely costs of all works required as a result of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Our assessment of impacts for the Building Safety Act 2022 does not include an estimate of the cost of works resulting directly from the Act and no other estimate has been made.
The Building Safety Act 2022 does not require new works to be conducted; it strengthens powers to require the carrying out of outstanding works which should have already been conducted to ensure compliance with building regulations and building safety.