Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent civil servants in his Department are working on developing new policy initiatives to support people during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
HMT takes a flexible and dynamic approach to resourcing in order to meet Government priorities. Many staff working on the government’s COVID-19 response often do so alongside its other policy priorities. We do not routinely record the number of full time equivalent civil servants who work on individual policy initiatives.
As at September 2020 HMT had 1838.8 paid full time equivalent staff.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-12-17/131452
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the £4.6 billion in new lockdown grants he announced on 5 January 2021 will be made available to (a) Kirklees and (b) the local authorities of West Yorkshire.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department is currently calculating the individual local authority and these will be shared with local authorities week commencing 11 January 2021.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he has made available to parents who are home schooling due to the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The government has invested over £300 million to support remote education, including providing devices and internet access to pupils who need it most.
Since its introduction, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been available to anyone who has been unable to work due to caring responsibilities arising from COVID-19, such as caring for children who are at home as a result of school and childcare facilities closing, or caring for a vulnerable individual in their household. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is also available to parents and carers who cannot work because of childcare commitments.
In order to support businesses to retain their employees and protect the UK economy, the Chancellor has extended both the CJRS and SEISS until the end of April 2021.
Individual families have also benefitted from increased welfare payments, enhances statutory sick pay, a stay of repossession proceedings and mortgage holidays.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to bring into force Section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and adopt all private sewage pumping stations.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I have recently reviewed the case for implementing section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. In 2021 my Department will start the work necessary to implement it. Part of that work will include a consultation on our implementation approach as well as determining the timing for implementation.
Section 42 implementation would cover new, not existing, sewerage assets, constructed from the date of implementation.
Regarding existing sewerage assets, such as operational private pumping stations, the consultation will seek views on making separate regulations concerning the adoption of those assets by sewerage companies.
We do not hold data on the number of private sewage pumping stations currently operating in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Batley and Spen, however we will investigate this further as part of the work to prepare to implement section 42 and the development of any separate regulations.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many private sewage pumping stations in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Batley and Spen will be adopted by water companies when section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 is commenced.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I have recently reviewed the case for implementing section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. In 2021 my Department will start the work necessary to implement it. Part of that work will include a consultation on our implementation approach as well as determining the timing for implementation.
Section 42 implementation would cover new, not existing, sewerage assets, constructed from the date of implementation.
Regarding existing sewerage assets, such as operational private pumping stations, the consultation will seek views on making separate regulations concerning the adoption of those assets by sewerage companies.
We do not hold data on the number of private sewage pumping stations currently operating in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Batley and Spen, however we will investigate this further as part of the work to prepare to implement section 42 and the development of any separate regulations.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date he last met with representatives from organisations representing PAYE freelancers who are ineligible for the (a) Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and (b) Coronavirus Job Support Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Treasury ministers and officials have had meetings with a variety of organisations in the public and private sectors (including MPs, businesses, professional representative bodies, and the unions) throughout the development of the COVID-19 support package, including both the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The Government has engaged widely, including with IPSE, the TUC and other organisations who represent the self-employed.
The Government’s proactive approach to stakeholder engagement has been recognised by the Institute for Government, who said: “The government’s approach to consultation compensated for some of the difficulties of accelerated policy development, because it gave it fast access to information, and an early sense of whether the measures would work and how they would be received by businesses and workers. This contributed to both positive reception on announcement and successful roll-out.”
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on GOV.UK.
The Treasury continues to speak to stakeholders, and has met with representatives including from the ExcludedUK campaign group, the Chair of the Gaps in Support APPG, Refused Furlough Support Group, Forgotten Ltd, Maternity Petition and Forgotten PAYE, alongside MPs.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support the economic recovery of (a) UK publishing industry exports and (b) other creative exports.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We appreciate that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ creative sectors including the publishing industry. Through regular ministerial-led roundtables, working groups and contact with DCMS officials, we will continue to work with the publishing sector to assess and understand the difficulties it faces in these challenging times and through recovery.
The Government has provided unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. The Government’s response has been one of the most generous and comprehensive in the world, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Bounceback Loan Scheme and business rates reliefs.
The publishing sector has also benefited from the government's introduction of a zero rate of VAT to e-publications, which was brought forward to 1st May this year. It ensures e-publications are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts.
We are continuing to meet with creative industries stakeholders to provide support and guidance for the sector during this time.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department to taking to support (a) SME publishing businesses and (b) other creative SMEs who were either not eligible for or did not receive funding from the Culture Recovery Fund.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Through regular ministerial-led roundtables, working groups and contact with DCMS officials, we will continue to work with the publishing sector to assess and understand the difficulties businesses across the creative industries, including SME publishing businesses, face in these challenging times and through recovery.
Regarding other creative SMEs, the CRF complements wider measures to support businesses. Cultural organisations have benefited from, and should continue to explore, the wide variety of additional funding made available by Government beyond the CRF, including the Job Retention Scheme; a reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for tourism and hospitality firms for six months; and the Bounce Back Loans scheme. The publishing sector has also benefited specifically from the government's introduction of a zero rate of VAT to e-publications, which will make it clear e-publications are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts.
The CRF has not been fully allocated and DCMS and the Culture Recovery Board will take decisions in the coming weeks on how best to allocate the remaining funds to best support the sector.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the £85 million of funding for laptops, tablets and 4G dongles, announced in April 2020, has been spent (a) in total and (b) by school in Batley and Spen constituency.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has invested over £195 million to support remote education and access to online social care, delivering over 220,000 laptops and tablets during the summer term for disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.
The Department is adding to this support by making over 340,000 additional laptops and tablets available to support disadvantaged children that might experience disruption to their education. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have been delivered to schools.
This scheme is not directly providing funding. It is providing a number of offers to support remote education, including laptops and tablets, 4G wireless routers, other internet offers and support for schools to access education platforms.
Data about the number of laptops and tablets delivered to local authorities and academy trusts over the summer term can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912888/Devices_and_4G_wireless_routers_progress_data_as_of_27_August_2020.pdf.
Data about the number of laptops and tablets delivered or dispatched to Local Authorities or trusts since 1 September can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929064/Ad-hoc_stats_note_shipped_data_231020_FINAL.pdf.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether organisations in receipt of Government grants under the Cultural Recovery Fund grants programme are able to access the (a) provisions for re-hiring staff and (b) all other elements of the coronavirus job retention scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Organisations in receipt of Culture Recovery grant funding are still able to access other Government support schemes, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. However recipients should not claim support for the same staff costs from multiple government schemes, and should rehire staff if it is right for them.
Where organisations have questions about the interaction between the culture recovery fund and the job retention scheme, they should speak to their relevant arms length body - Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England or the British Film Institute.