Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Thérèse Coffey and John Cryer

Monday 27th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Will the Secretary of State assure the House that there are no plans to reintroduce employment tribunal fees?

[Dr Coffey]

I am not aware, because as the hon. Gentleman will know, employment tribunals are basically managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, rather than the Department for Work and Pensions. I therefore encourage him to table a written question to BEIS instead.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Thérèse Coffey and John Cryer

Thursday 21st February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Dr Coffey]

The Government are investing £3.5 billion and it is for local authorities to potentially apply to the clean air fund to undertake different activities. A lot of this is about cycling and walking and the strategy on changing transport. I am not aware of what the hon. Lady’s local authority has been directly involved in, but we have also been funding—say, through the London Borough of Islington or Spelthorne Borough Council—awareness campaigns run through schools.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Like my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes), I have many schools in my constituency that are very worried about air pollution in the surrounding area. The problem is not the powers—they have the powers to monitor it—but the finances. They do not have the resources either to monitor the air pollution or then to fix the problem. Is there any possibility of more resources being made available?

[Dr Coffey]

I am conscious that, certainly through Transport for London, London has had a substantial amount of money to improve air quality. I know that it is keen to do more, but local authorities have statutory duties to tackle this issue. They have had funding in the past and they are able to apply for funding in the future, and I would welcome the hon. Gentleman’s authority doing so.