Victoria Prentis

Everyone in this house owes a great debt to Nancy Astor. As the first woman to take her seat in the Commons in December 1919, she forged the way for women to take their rightful place in our representative democracy - and I’m proud that she was a Conservative. Since 2018 the government’s suffrage centenary fund has been supporting projects to increase women’s political participation in the years to come

The Electoral Commission published a report “a regulatory review of the UK’s party and electoral finance laws” in June 2013 that made 50 recommendations. The report’s first recommendation proposed changes to the reporting requirements for parties that receive and spend less than £500 annually. Such a change would require primary legislation. The Government recognises that there is a balance to be struck between reducing the burden on smaller parties and maintaining transparency of the funding of all parties which contest elections in the UK.

The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) covers the categories of food typically served in public sector establishments. The Standards require that all UK legislative standards of production are met which, for meat and meat products, includes traceability, authenticity and animal welfare. These standards also apply to farmed game animals.

A complimentary tool to the GBSF is the Balanced Scorecard, which helps to evaluate the value of contract bids for bid and services. This tool references Statutory Management Requirements for wild birds.

In addition, the Food Standards Agency also provides a Meat Industry Guide and Wild Game guidance which set out comprehensive guidance on meeting legislative standards for meat production and hygiene regulations for supplying game for human consumption.

A private veterinary group is coordinating an investigation into the cause of the syndrome known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) in the UK, which is sometimes referred to as Alabama rot. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has been engaging with this investigation since the outset and continues to do so.

Ministers have discussed the syndrome known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) in the UK, which is sometimes referred to as Alabama rot, with the Chief Veterinary Officer. The pathogen for the syndrome has yet to be confirmed, and as there is no diagnostic test for the syndrome in living dogs, there are currently no plans to make CRGV a notifiable disease. CRGV poses no risk to human health.

The UK government continues to raise concerns with the Saudi led-Coalition about the potential impact of any assault on the port and city of Hodeidah and is in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any further military operations do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows both through the port and onwards across the country. To date, Red Sea ports remain operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely.

As we have consistently made clear, the Houthis must facilitate access throughout areas they control which is where most of the population live.

As part of our effort to secure vital access for food, fuel, and medicine into and throughout Yemen, the UK is also providing £1.3 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to give the Saudi-led Coalition confidence that weapons are not coming in to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on large commercial ships.

The Small Charities Challenge Fund was launched in July this year. This fund is specifically for UK registered non-for-profit organisations with an annual income of less than £250,000. The fund is continuously open for applications and the first review of applications is currently underway.

As we leave the European Union, we are seeking continuity for our existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements. The UK-Israel Trade Working Group is making positive progress towards transitioning the EU – Israel Association Agreement, to maintain our strong trade and investment relationship with Israel.

HS2 Information Paper E2 outlines how ecological impacts have been assessed and how they will be mitigated or compensated for during the construction of Phase One of HS2. It refers to the commitment to seek no net loss to biodiversity. Mitigation measures include the creation of habitat to maintain the populations of protected species. New areas of woodland, grassland, heathland and ponds will be created.

A route-wide monitoring strategy will be put in place. HS2 Ltd is responsible for maintaining and monitoring the new or managed habitat for a sufficient period to ensure that the nature conservation objectives are achieved. Indicative periods for the management and monitoring of habitats are set out in HS2 Information Paper E26. These include plans to monitor replacement woodland for up to 50 years.

A similar approach is being adopted for future phases of the scheme.

HS2 Ltd has produced a barn owl mitigation plan to manage and reduce the anticipated significant effects to barn owls caused by construction and operation of the Phase One scheme. The plan has been developed by a team of professional ecologists, including a barn owl expert, and has been informed by additional research undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology.

The plan assumes that 80 pairs are affected by the Phase One scheme and consists of measures to: avoid disturbance to the species during construction; reduce the collision risk of the railway to the birds; provide new artificial nesting sites at a safe distance from the railway; and monitor the new nesting sites to ensure uptake by barn owls.

It is expected that the barn owl mitigation plan will be expanded and refined for future phases of HS2.

On Monday 19 November, the UK circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities, steps to improve the humanitarian situation, and support for the work of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

During my visit to Cameroon from 12 to 14 February, I held talks with The Prime Minister, and the Ministers of External Relations, Territorial Administration, and Defence. I discussed the threat posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin, as well as the ongoing tensions in Cameroon's Anglophone regions where the importance of respecting human rights was reinforced. I urged the Government of Cameroon to pursue an inclusive and purposeful dialogue to address Anglophone grievances, and also met a range of Anglophone leaders in Buea, to hear their concerns.

The majority of people in Azerbaijan are able to practise their religion freely. We are concerned, however, that some groups have been prevented from practising their faith by the authorities, and some religious activists have been prosecuted without free or fair trials. The British Embassy in Baku regularly observes criminal trials in such cases and raises freedom of religion with officials from the Government of Azerbaijan. The British Embassy also held an event to mark International Religious Freedom Day on 27 October 2017 to raise awareness of this issue.

The government is committed to helping families both earn more and keep more of what they earn. On 1^st April 2018, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 4.4% to £7.83. This represents an annual pay rise of over £2,000 for a full-time worker since the NLW was introduced in April 2016. The Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold also increased in line with CPI, to £11,850 and £46,350 respectively. These changes to income tax will help 31 million people and mean a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay £1,075 less income tax in 2018-19 then in 2010-11.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced a power to enable the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to the police on their firearms licensing functions. Before issuing the statutory guidance, the Secretary of State must consult the National Police Chief’s Council and the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland, and we will also consult publicly on the guidance before it is published. We plan to begin the consultation shortly.

We have been in discussions with the police, the relevant medical bodies, and representatives of shooting organisations about improving the arrangements for providing medical information as part of the firearms licensing process and how greater consistency can be achieved across England and Wales. The new statutory guidance, when it is published, will apply to firearms licensing functions including the medical arrangements, and the police will be required to have regard to this guidance.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced a power to enable the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to the police on their firearms licensing functions. Before issuing the statutory guidance, the Secretary of State must consult the National Police Chief’s Council and the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland, and we will also consult publicly on the guidance before it is published. We plan to begin the consultation shortly.

We have been in discussions with the police, the relevant medical bodies, and representatives of shooting organisations about improving the arrangements for providing medical information as part of the firearms licensing process and how greater consistency can be achieved across England and Wales. The new statutory guidance, when it is published, will apply to firearms licensing functions including the medical arrangements, and the police will be required to have regard to this guidance.

We have been in discussions with the police, medical representatives and shooting organisations about the medical arrangements for firearms licensing and how to achieve greater consistency across England and Wales. The process, which was introduced in 2016, is voluntary and we know that there is currently variation in how GPs respond to the police request for information.

The statutory guidance to the police will apply to firearms licensing functions, including medical arrangements, and the police will be required to have regard to this guidance. We intend to consult on the statutory guidance before it is finalised.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced a power to enable the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance to the police on their firearms licensing functions. The police will be required to have regard to this guidance. We intend to consult on this guidance publically before it is finalised.

It is important that we focus our support on the most vulnerable refugees in the region fleeing the atrocities in Syria, whatever their nationality. Latest statistics published on 24 August confirm that a total of 8,535 people have been resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since it began, 4,369 of which arrived in 2016. We will continue to work closely with local authorities and devolved administrations to ensure we meet our commitment.

The latest information available shows that in the 12 months to September 2018 there were 340,163 incidences of resettlement day release involving 7,232 individuals, and 19,107 incidences of resettlement overnight release involving 4,955 individuals.

Data on release on temporary licence is published quarterly and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018

Resettlement day and overnight release are the most common forms of release on temporary licence (ROTL) and allow suitable, risk assessed prisoners to be released to undertake activities linked to the sentence plan that will ease their transition back to the community. There is promising international evidence to suggest that temporary release is associated with better post release employment outcomes, as well as lower re-arrest rates, return to custody rates, and re-imprisonment rates.

The MoJ published research in 2018 entitled ‘The reoffending impact of increased release of prisoners on temporary licence’ showed that for those given ROTL in the six month period leading up to release, increased use of it during this period was associated with reduced reoffending. After controlling for some other variables that might influence prisoner’s outcomes (such as demographic characteristics, offending history and prior ROTL failure)

- Each additional Resettlement Day Release was associated with 0.5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period

- Each additional Resettlement Overnight Release was associated with 5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period

The latest information available shows that in the 12 months to September 2018 there were 340,163 incidences of resettlement day release involving 7,232 individuals, and 19,107 incidences of resettlement overnight release involving 4,955 individuals.

Data on release on temporary licence is published quarterly and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018

Resettlement day and overnight release are the most common forms of release on temporary licence (ROTL) and allow suitable, risk assessed prisoners to be released to undertake activities linked to the sentence plan that will ease their transition back to the community. There is promising international evidence to suggest that temporary release is associated with better post release employment outcomes, as well as lower re-arrest rates, return to custody rates, and re-imprisonment rates.

The MoJ published research in 2018 entitled ‘The reoffending impact of increased release of prisoners on temporary licence’ showed that for those given ROTL in the six month period leading up to release, increased use of it during this period was associated with reduced reoffending. After controlling for some other variables that might influence prisoner’s outcomes (such as demographic characteristics, offending history and prior ROTL failure)

- Each additional Resettlement Day Release was associated with 0.5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period

- Each additional Resettlement Overnight Release was associated with 5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period

Published statistics for 2017/18 showing the accommodation status for all offenders released from custody and offenders on community sentences can be viewed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729062/accommodation-cirumstances-tables-2018.xlsx.

Everyone leaving custody should have a safe and suitable home to go to on release.

As part of the Government initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate rough sleeping across England, we will invest up to £6.4 million in a pilot scheme to help ex-offenders into accommodation from three prisons, namely Bristol, Pentonville and Leeds. The pilots will specifically focus on male prisoners who have served shorter sentences of under 12 months, who have been identified as having a risk of homelessness.

Furthermore, as of 1 October 2018, Prisons and Probation providers have had a “Duty to Refer” anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to the Local Authority. Following a referral, Local Authorities are then required to make an assessment, meaning offenders can receive meaningful housing assistance at an earlier stage irrespective of their priority need.

In June 2018, we published the Female Offender Strategy which set out the Government’s aim to see fewer women in custody, especially on short term sentences. There is persuasive evidence that many women, particularly on short custodial sentences, can be better supported in the community on robust and effective community sentences.

The Strategy set out a new programme of work to improve outcomes for female offenders and shift our emphasis from custody to the community. This included a £5m investment in community provision for female offenders over 2018/19 and 2019/20. We awarded £3.3m to 12 organisations last November, and on 23 January we announced a further £1.6m, which will benefit 17 organisations and 83 female rape support centres.

We consider that the availability of intensive residential support packages, both at the point of sentencing and on release, is one important element in achieving the changes we want to see. We are therefore committed to working with local and national partners to develop a ‘residential women’s centre’ pilot in at least five sites across England and Wales.

The Strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-offender-strategy.

The Government is planning to abolish the so-called pre-1979 “same roof rule” from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Under this rule, a compensation award cannot be made for a criminal injury sustained by a child or adult before October 1979 if, at the time of the incident giving rise to that injury, the applicant (as a child or as an adult) and the assailant were living together as members of the same family.

We will be laying an amended Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 before Parliament in due course. The amended Scheme will remove the pre-1979 same roof rule. Importantly, it is intended to enable victims whose applications for compensation had previously been refused under this rule to reapply. Applicants will still need to meet all the remaining eligibility criteria within the Scheme.