Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have spent in discussions with representatives of the Scottish government on the potential cross-border issues relating to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Minister for Women and Equalities wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Shona Robison MSP, while the Bill was still in the Scottish Parliament, outlining her concerns with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill as it stood. They also met to discuss the UK Government’s concerns. UK Government officials have had regular meetings with Scottish Government counterparts since the Gender Recognition Reform Bill’s introduction in the Scottish Parliament.
Ministers and officials in my Department conduct regular engagement with the Scottish Government on a range of matters, including legislation, Scotland Act Orders, and other policy matters.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
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 potential impact of the policies announced in the Autumn Statement 2022 on parents of children who have Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder who receive Carers Benefit and Income support.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers, in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society, including children and adults with disabilities.
Where a child with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder is entitled to Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (or Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), the parents may be entitled to additional support through the benefit system.
The Secretary of State announced the outcome of his statutory annual up-rating review on 17 November. All relevant benefit rates for working age households and disabled people will increase by 10.1% from next April, subject to parliamentary approval, in line with the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022. This includes the rates of Income Support, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance, and the additional amounts for carers in Income Support and Universal Credit. For those benefits which are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but which are currently being delivered by DWP on behalf of Scottish Ministers under agency agreements, equivalent up-rating provision will be brought forward by the Scottish Government. This includes Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Carer’s Allowance.
In addition, to ensure stability and certainty for households, the Autumn Statement announced £26 billion in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes further Cost of Living Payments for disabled people and people in receipt of certain means-tested benefits, as well as pensioners, in addition to those being made in the current financial year. In 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Cost of Living Payments. A £300 payment will be made to pensioner households and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. This is in addition to the support provided by the amended Energy Price Guarantee, which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.
For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what it has already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.
The Government does not intend to conduct a specific assessment of the impact of these measures with reference to the parents of children with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to conduct a review into the sustainability of the funding given to support the monitoring and intervention functions of the Office for Students ahead of responsibilities conferred upon the regulator under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill 2022.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Ministers, department officials and the Office for Students (OfS) regularly consider the funding and resourcing the OfS needs to deliver current and future priorities. When considering this, we take into account various factors, including the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill 2022.
If the OfS determines that it needs additional funding to fulfil its obligations under the Bill, it will utilise existing communications channels.
The department continues to work closely with the OfS to ensure that their responsibilities are fulfilled, and that the world-class standards of our higher education institutions are maintained.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the independent review into the police management of registered sex offenders.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and those who pose a risk of sexual harm, and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be. We are strengthening the regime through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 with measures that will come into force on 29 November.
In March former chief constable Mick Creedon was appointed to conduct an independent review into the police management of registered sex offenders.
The reviewer has delivered their findings and recommendations to HM Government, and Ministers will consider how best to share the findings of the review with due regard to issues like operational sensitivities.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, through what mechanism a civil servant in his Department can raise a complaint of (a) bullying, (b) sexual harassment and (c) other misconduct against a minister during any time the post of Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interest is unfilled.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has a zero tolerance policy for bullying and any complaints are investigated and acted upon.
The Ministry of Justice has clear policies on conduct and behaviour which is set out in the Department’s Conduct Policy and puts in place training for all civil servants on bullying and harassment and regularly reviews its policies on the matter.
Where a Civil Servant or employee of an Arm’s-Length Body has a concern, they may raise this using normal departmental procedures. Civil Service guidance on raising a grievance, and a concern can be found at Raise a grievance at work: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Whistleblowing for employees: What is a whistleblower - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to reduce the processing times for the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy since August 2021.
Answered by James Heappey
It is recognised that processing times within ARAP can vary considerably, dependent upon a number of factors including the complexity of the case, the need to conduct checks with other Government Departments, or the length of time it takes an applicant to respond to follow-up queries.
Significant progress has been made to accelerate the process in recent months, including additional Defence resource being made available and an enhanced casework system. Whilst a high number of applications continue to be received, the majority of these are duplicates or are ineligible and the team are actively processing and issuing decisions on more applications per month than are being received. MOD Officials also continue to work closely with partners across Government in order to ensure necessary checks are completed as soon as is practicable.
I would also like to assure the hon. Member that the continued effective operation of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is kept under regular review within the department by senior officials and Ministers, reflecting the priority of the scheme. Having successfully relocated over 11,600 individuals under the ARAP scheme so far, the primary focus for the ARAP team is identifying and relocating the estimated remaining 4,900 eligible individuals (including dependents), using HMG employment records to target efforts.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to Ministers on the use of personal email accounts for the conduct of public business.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Cabinet Office has published guidance to departments on the use of private email that covers how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. This guidance is being updated to reflect changes in technology and ways of working, and will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.
It is Government policy not to comment on individual Ministers’ security arrangements. Ministers receive support and expert advice to help them meet their obligations in the most appropriate and secure fashion. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.
There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether (a) he, (b) his predecessor and (c) other Ministers in his Department have used personal email addresses to conduct Government business during the 2022-23 parliamentary Session.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the independent review into the police management of registered sex offenders in the community will be published.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In March this year former chief constable Mick Creedon was appointed to conduct an independent review into the police management of registered sex offenders in the community. The review is looking specifically at how the police use their current capabilities to manage the risk posed by registered sex offenders and whether the regime protecting the public from them could be strengthened further.
The review, which is now in its concluding phases, will deliver its findings and recommendations to HM Government on what needs to be done across the policing and law enforcement landscape to enhance the management of registered sex offenders in the community in England and Wales. The findings will support our efforts to tackle horrific cases of sexual exploitation in places such as Rotherham. Ministers will consider how best to share the findings of the review with due regard to issues like operational sensitivities.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (b) the Gambling Commission and (c) the Financial Conduct Authority on the regulation of crypto-based products and services.
Answered by Richard Fuller
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Cryptoasset Taskforce, comprising HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), continues to monitor ongoing development in cryptoasset markets, and is taking forward a range of regulatory measures to mitigate market integrity risks, protect consumers and support innovation in the cryptoasset market.
Since January 2020, cryptoasset firms operating in the UK have been subject to the Money Laundering Regulations. To protect consumers, on 18 January 2022, the government set out its intention to legislate later this year to bring certain cryptoassets into financial promotion regulation. This would ensure that relevant cryptoasset promotions are held to the same high standards for fairness, clarity and accuracy that exist in the financial services industry. Additionally, on the 20 July, the government introduced the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which includes a measure allowing HM Treasury to bring stablecoins, where used as a means of payment, within the UK regulatory perimeter.
The government has committed to consult later this year on the broader regulation of cryptoassets.