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Written Question
Hospital Wards: Gender
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they intend to consult on their longstanding commitment regarding single-sex hospital accommodation in their NHS Constitution 10-year review.

Answered by Lord Markham

The Government is not consulting on the longstanding policy of single-sex hospital accommodation, as part of the NHS Constitution consultation. We are consulting on an update to the existing pledge on sleeping accommodation in hospitals, to reflect the legal position on the provision of same-sex services on which transgender patients can be offered separate accommodation, as a proportionate means to a legitimate aim. We are consulting on this in recognition of the concerns that patients may have about sharing hospital accommodation with patients of the opposite sex.


Written Question
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the objectives for the Rotary Wing strategy refresh.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Uniforms
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of manufacturing all British armed forces uniforms in the UK.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Defence Business Services: Contracts
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all the contracts managed by Defence Business Services.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Southern Water: Sewage
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will undertake an environmental impact assessment of Southern Waters policy on sewage discharges into (a) Langstone Harbour and (b) the Solent.

Answered by Robbie Moore

Sewage discharges by Southern Water into Langstone Harbour and the Solent are permitted by the Environment Agency. The limits on these permits are informed by environmental impact assessments. If the Environment Agency finds any company breaching the conditions of their permits, they will take action, up to and including prosecution.

The Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan is driving £60bn between now and 2050 to reduce the use of storm overflows, including those discharging into the Solent and Langstone Harbour.


Written Question
Rosyth Dockyard: Nuclear Submarines
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure the safety and (b) mitigate potential risks posed by the decommissioning of nuclear submarines at Rosyth Royal Dockyard for surrounding residential areas.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Universities: Antisemitism
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of antisemitic activity and incidents currently being committed on university campuses.

Answered by Baroness Barran

According to the Community Security Trust, there was an increase of 203% in university-related antisemitic incidents in 2023, which rose from 60 in 2022 to 182 in 2023. Of these 182 incidents, 148, or 81%, occurred in the aftermath of 7 October, and 134, or 74%, overtly referred to Israel and events in the Middle East and included anti-Jewish content or targeting. The department continues to monitor the situation and to support higher education providers to manage incidents.

On 9 May 2024 the Secretary of State chaired a roundtable at 10 Downing Street with Vice-Chancellors from universities across the UK, joined by the Prime Minister and other Ministers. The discussion focused on tackling antisemitism in higher education (HE), including preventing an escalation of protest activity such as that seen in the United States in recent weeks.

On the same day the department announced the intention to provide £500,000 to the University Jewish Chaplaincy, enabling it to rapidly boost the vital support it offers to Jewish students on campus.

In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £7 million to tackle antisemitism in education. The cornerstone of this package for HE will be a new framework that will enable universities to demonstrate through their processes and practice a commitment to preventing and tackling antisemitic abuse.


Written Question
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which stakeholders his Department has consulted during the Rotary Wing strategy refresh.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Water Companies
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 22 June 2023 to Question 188226 on Water Companies, how many (a) cautions, (b) prosecutions and (c) legal instruments the Drinking Water Inspectorate brought against water companies in each year since 2021 by water company.

Answered by Robbie Moore

Since 2021, the Drinking Water Inspectorate brought against water companies in each year since 2021,

(a) two cautions, one against Thames (2023) and one against Southern Water (2023),

(b) three prosecutions, against Southern Water (2022) and one against South West and Bournemouth Water (2022) and one against Wessex Water in 2023, and

(c) 362 legal instruments.

These are shown by water company below and comprise drinking water quality Legal Instruments (Notices), Final Enforcement Orders, Regulation 15 Notices for new sources, Radioactivity notices (waivers), Network and Information Systems (NIS) notices, Security and Emergency Direction (SEMD) notices, and notices for Price Review 2024 for water quality, NIS and SEMD. (They include the PR24 schemes that have been served to date which are most of the lead reduction schemes but no PFAS as yet, as the process is ongoing).

Legal instruments

2021

2022

2023

2024 (inc PR24)

Affinity Water Ltd

3

2

4

11

Albion Water Ltd

1

0

0

0

Albion Water Eco

1

0

0

0

Anglian Water Services Ltd

6

1

2

20

Bristol Water Plc

6

4

1

0

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

1

4

6

11

ESP Water

0

0

1

0

Hafren Dyfrdwy

1

4

1

5

Icosa Water

4

0

0

0

Independent Water Networks Ltd

3

1

0

0

Leep Networks (Water) Ltd

2

0

0

1

Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water Ltd

9

1

4

6

Portsmouth Water Ltd

4

1

1

9

SES Water

2

1

0

8

South East Water Ltd

6

3

2

12

Southern Water Services Ltd

3

4

11

12

South Staffordshire Water and Cambridge Water PLC

3

1

2

7

Severn Trent Water Ltd

7

4

3

16

South West and Bournemouth Water Ltd (incl Isles of Scilly)

15

10

5

13

Thames Water Utilities Ltd

6

9

8

5

United Utilities Water PLC

5

2

0

8

Veolia Water Projects Ltd

1

1

0

0

Wessex Water Services Ltd

3

1

0

3

Yorkshire Water Services Ltd

1

7

0

10

362


Written Question
Defence Business Services: Contracts
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total value is of the contracts managed by Defence Business Services.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.