Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his US counterpart on the potential merits of imposing (a) sanctions and (b) other non-sanction measures against Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise to help prevent potential access to that company's gas revenue by the Myanmar military.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will continue to work closely with international partners, including the US, EU, Canada and Australia, to take robust action to reduce the military's access to revenue, arms, and equipment. The UK is committed to targeted sanctions, which directly impact the military without harming the wider population. This will be a key consideration for any future designations. It would be inappropriate to speculate on future targets by either ourselves or our partners.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
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 causes of the rise of excess deaths from non covid-19 illnesses in 2023; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to an increase in the number of deaths at home, including high flu prevalence and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. We are taking steps to help reduce excess deaths.
The National Health Service has published a delivery plan setting out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. The plan commits the NHS to deliver 9 million additional treatments and diagnostic procedures over the next three years and around 30% more elective activity than it was doing before the pandemic by 2024/25.
We are making progress in restoring NHS Health Check delivery, a core part of our cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention pathway. Delivery is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by June 2023 and we are creating a national digital NHS Health Check so we can go even further. We continue to work closely with partners to consider what more can be done to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of CVD and we will set out our plan in the Major Conditions Strategy.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to review mileage allowance rates to reflect increases in the cost of (a) living and (b) fuel.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers for administrative ease as a means of reimbursing an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.
Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to secure a sustainable future for clubs in the English Football League.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government published its response to the recommendations made by the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022. The Government recognises the need for the long-term financial sustainability of football clubs, throughout the football pyramid.
The Government will publish a White Paper on Football Governance reforms imminently, to set out our detailed plans to improve the financial stability and governance of football clubs across all leagues. The Government remains clear that the preferred outcome on financial distributions is a football led solution. The football authorities can take forward some of the reforms needed now, and we continue to work with industry to push toward this.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government will give a new independent regulator for football the necessary powers to ensure fair distributions from the Premier League to the rest of the clubs in line with the recommendations of the Fan Led Review.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government published its response to the recommendations made by the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022. The Government recognises the need for the long-term financial sustainability of football clubs, throughout the football pyramid.
The Government will publish a White Paper on Football Governance reforms imminently, to set out our detailed plans to improve the financial stability and governance of football clubs across all leagues. The Government remains clear that the preferred outcome on financial distributions is a football led solution. The football authorities can take forward some of the reforms needed now, and we continue to work with industry to push toward this.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with local authorities on returning to (a) town halls and (b) other office facilities following the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authorities are independent of central government. Now that all COVID-19 restrictions are no longer in force, it is for them to determine their own working arrangements, with a return to usual service being the norm.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will provide details of (a) ongoing capital infrastructure projects and (b) the costs of projects on the parliamentary estate as of 18 January 2023.
Answered by Charles Walker
The ongoing live capital infrastructure projects as of 18 January 2023 are summarised in the table below. There are 61 projects in progress on the Parliamentary Estate. Around £452 million has been spent to date on these projects and they are forecast to cost £1,370 million at completion.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the number of people using the Household Support Fund to pay off debts to energy companies; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of people using the Household Support Fund to pay off those debts.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme run by Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to provide support to the most vulnerable households. The Household Support Fund is primarily used to meet immediate need including energy and water bills, food, as well as wider related essentials. It is for Local Authorities to decide how they distribute their funding within the parameters of the scheme’s guidance and grant determination.
The Government collects high level data on the broad categories of the support provided by the scheme in order to ensure that funded activities are within the scope of guidance. The Household Support Fund data does not provide sufficient information to allow for an analysis of trends in the level of people using the Household Support Fund to pay off debt to energy companies.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what the cost to the public purse was of transferring the functions of the external statutory Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body to an in-house service, including replacing the Board.
Answered by Charles Walker
The Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body was abolished on 1 January 2023 and its staff transferred into a new joint department in Parliament, the Restoration and Renewal Client Team. Replacing the Sponsor Board will be two new Boards—the R&R Client Board, comprising the membership of the two House Commissions, and the R&R Programme Board, which is currently in the process of being established.
The costs of these changes thus far have been primarily absorbed within the existing budgets of the two Houses and the Sponsor Body.
The following items are costs that would not have been incurred had it not been for the transfer of functions:
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will extend the deadline of his consultation on reform of the National Planning Policy Framework beyond 2 March 2023.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has no such plans.
If the Rt Hon Member has any specific concerns please write to me with further details.