Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that disabled young people are able to access the Kickstart scheme.
A: (Mims Davies, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) We are encouraging employers to create a range of opportunities through the Kickstart Scheme for all young people aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of long–term unemployment - including those who have disabilities. Job Centre Plus Work Coaches will identify those young people most in need of the extra support offered by the Kickstart Scheme. We are also encouraging organisations that work with disabled young people to take part in the Kickstart scheme, this can include acting as gateway organisations for employers in their networks to take part in the Kickstart scheme. This will help ensure that young people with disabilities, as well as young people experiencing other disadvantages, are able to access the Kickstart Scheme.
DWP also offers a range of support programmes including Access to Work and Disability Confident to advise and support employers looking to take on disabled jobseekers – this support can be accessed through local Jobcentres or through gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/disability-confident.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing youth swimming lessons and training to continue where social distancing and hygiene guidelines are followed.
A: (Nigel Huddleston, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own, or with one person from another household or support bubble. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people, which is why schools will remain open. Children can continue to take part in sport at school, which includes swimming lessons where schools are providing them.
However, we have not introduced further exemptions because it’s important that the restrictions are simple to understand. Once you unpick at one exemption the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to decide the future of Social Investment Tax Relief in 2020.
A: (Jesse Norman, Financial Secretary to the Treasury) The Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) is intended to encourage investment into social enterprises. Since 2014, about 110 social enterprises and trading charities have used the scheme, raising £11.2 million.
The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review in order to ensure they continue to meet policy objectives and represent value for money for taxpayers. The Government committed to a full review of SITR within two years of its expansion, and published a Call for Evidence last year on the use of the scheme to date. A Summary of Responses will be published in due course alongside a decision on the policy’s future.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment on the effect of a potential ban on youth sports in response to the covid-19 outbreak on young people's physical and mental wellbeing.
A: (Nigel Huddleston, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with their household or on their own, or with one person from another household or support bubble. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people, which is why schools will remain open. Children can continue to take part in sport at school, which includes swimming lessons where schools are providing them.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of covid-19 spreading on golf courses where hygiene and social distancing measures are followed.
A: (Nigel Huddleston, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of covid-19 spreading in gyms where hygiene and social distancing measures are followed.
A: (Nigel Huddleston, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own, or with one person from another household or support bubble.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether bowling centres, once they are allowed to reopen, will be afforded the same substantive reduction of VAT on ticket sales that was put in place for cinemas, theme parks and other competitor businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
A: (Jesse Norman, Financial Secretary to the Treasury) The temporary reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism was introduced on 15 July to support the cash flow and viability of businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors which have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospitality for the purposes of this relief includes the supply of food and non-alcoholic beverages from restaurants, cafes and pubs for consumption on these premises. It also includes the supply of hot food and non-alcoholic hot beverages to takeaway. Where a bowling alley provides such hospitality, it will benefit from the reduced rate, although admission to a bowling alley itself is not eligible.
Admission charges that entitle a person to participate in events where the primary focus is a sporting activity will not generally be eligible for the reduced rate. However, if businesses are in any doubt about whether they are supplying sporting facilities they should consult the consult VAT Notice 701/45 on gov.uk.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of covid-19 spreading in places of worship where hygiene and social distancing measures are followed.
A: (Luke Hall, Minister of State, Housing, Communities and Local Government) We are very grateful to our faith communities for all their efforts to ensure their places of worship are as Covid-secure as possible. However, the evidence from the scientific community, and from SAGE is that the rate of infection continues to rise and we need to reduce the level of interaction and the number of gatherings that take place. The closure of places of worship for communal prayer is one such decision.
These restrictions have not been introduced lightly. We recognise that religious practice is of fundamental importance to millions of people which is why we are enabling individual prayer in places of worship for those religions who practice in this way.
The regulations now in force will expire on 2 December, at which point we hope to be able to ease restrictions.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the closure of places of worship in response to covid-19 lockdown restrictions on the (a) mental health and (b) physical wellbeing of people who regularly attend religious services and gatherings.
A: (Luke Hall, Minister of State, Housing, Communities and Local Government) We know how vital places of worship are to many people’s health and wellbeing. They play an important role in spiritual and mental health, and in bringing our communities together.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that the rate of infection is rising. The closure of our places of worship for communal prayer is to limit the number of interactions, thereby protecting the health of our community and the NHS.
The regulations now in force will expire on 2 December, at which point we hope to able to ease restrictions.To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement clear face masks in NHS settings to mitigate the effect of mask wearing on patients who are deaf and hard of hearing, and rely on lip reading and facial expressions to communicate.
A: (Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care) The United Kingdom Government’s national personal protective equipment procurement team has been working extremely hard to source clear face masks which comply with UK safety standards.
Specialist masks help support better care for people who rely on lip reading and facial expressions to communicate. We have announced that National Health Service and care workers will be given clear face masks to help them communicate with people with certain conditions like hearing loss, autism and dementia.
At the time of writing, a new deal with United States-based company ClearMask will allow 250,000 masks to be delivered to NHS trusts and social care providers across the UK over the next few weeks. The masks are see-through and have an anti-fogging shield to ensure the face and mouth is always visible to help doctors, nurses and carers communicate better with their patients.
Clear masks will be invaluable for people who need to lip read to communicate during the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) What steps he is taking to help ensure that Green Homes Grant Scheme improvements offer significant (a) environmental benefits and (b) value for money.
A: (Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) My Rt hon friend the Prime Minister has made clear that energy efficiency is a Government priority. The Green Homes Grant provides economic stimulus, supporting over 80,000 jobs. Through the scheme, households could save up to £600 a year on energy bills.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of installation offers made for gigabit fibre broadband connections to new builds involved (a) a cost to the developers and (b) a cost of more than £1,800 per connection in the last 12 months.
A: (Matt Warman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) My department does not currently hold this information for the last 12 months as it is part of commercial arrangements between telecoms operators and housing developers.
The Government is bringing forward a policy that will deliver gigabit broadband to the vast majority of new homes at minimal costs to developers. We will do this by bringing forward amendments to the Building Regulations 2010 to require housing developers to provide gigabit broadband unless the costs to the developer exceeds £2,000.
To support developers, and to ensure as many new homes as possible receive gigabit broadband, the Secretary of State has received commitments from Openreach, Virgin and Gigaclear on the costs of connecting new homes, these include:
- Virgin will contribute at least £500 per premise and up to £1,000 for larger developments;
- Gigaclear will contribute up to £1,000 per premise; and
- Openreach will contribute up to £1,400 per premise.
We have worked with Openreach to extend their free offer of gigabit broadband for new builds and also reduce costs for smaller developments. Openreach reduced their costs of connecting developments consisting of 2 to 4 premises to £2,000, from £3,100, ensuring they all fall within the proposed cost cap.
Based on discussions with industry, we estimate that these commitments ensure that, taken with the amended Building Regulations, gigabit broadband will be deployed to 99% of new build premises.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of granting an extension to the Stamp Duty Land Tax Relief to mitigate potential disruption in the housing market during the covid-19 lockdown.
A: (Jesse Norman, Financial Secretary to the Treasury) The temporary increase in the Stamp Duty Land Tax nil rate band was designed to create immediate momentum within the property market, where property transactions fell by as much as 50 per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown. The downturn in the market meant that the future was uncertain for many people whose jobs relied on custom from the property industry. There are already early signs that demand and transactions have increased, and are continuing to rise, since the increase to the SDLT nil rate band was announced in July.
As the relief was to provide an immediate stimulus to the property market, the Government does not plan to extend this relief and will continue to monitor the property market.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on pets boarding in kennels of recently announced covid-19 lockdown restrictions in the event that their owners are unable to travel to collect them as a result of those covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
A: (Victoria Prentis, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) According to the regulations you may leave your home for the purpose of caring for or exercising your pet and other animals you own or keep. It is acceptable to leave your home where this is reasonably necessary for animal welfare reasons.
Travelling to a boarding kennel or cattery to collect your pet meets these conditions. Equally, pet owners could ask if the boarding kennel or cattery could bring their pet back home to them.
The Canine and Feline Sector Group has issued advice for pet businesses, including animal boarding establishments, on how to operate safely within the new restrictions. This includes a protocol for the handover of pets. All admission and return of pets should be by appointment only to ensure social distancing can be applied. Some providers will operate a collection and drop-off service.
This advice us available here: https://www.cfsg.org.uk/repository/360/
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to commemorate the Falkland Islands mine-free declaration on November 14 2020.
A: (Wendy Morton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) The UK will declare the Falkland Islands landmine free on 14 November. On 17 November, the UK will be hosting an event at Government House in Port Stanley to congratulate the demining programme team on the successful accomplishment of this extensive project. The UK will also host an event in Harare, to celebrate the significant contribution that the Zimbabwean demining teams have made to the programme since 2009. The UK will announce that it has now complied with its international obligation to clear all anti-personnel mines within its jurisdiction and territory at the Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in Geneva later this month.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the closure of (a) outdoor and (b) indoor swimming pools during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England on the (i) mental health and (ii) physical wellbeing of people who regularly use gyms to exercise.
A: (Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care) The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy during the ongoing pandemic. Evidence suggests that regular physical activity can promote good physical health and help manage stress and anxiety.
The national restrictions are designed to get the ‘R’ rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions. People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with their household or on their own, or with one person from another household or support bubble.
Q: (Andrew Rosindell) To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that civil registration of marriages can continue wherever possible during the covid-19 lockdown.
A: (Kevin Foster, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department_ Current regulations provide for marriages and civil partnerships to take place in England only in exceptional circumstances i.e. where one of the parties is seriously ill and not expected to recover. It is for local authorities to ensure ceremonies can be safely delivered in line with Public Health and local authority guidance.
Marriages and civil partnerships can take place in Wales where appropriate risk assessments have been undertaken and safety measures are in place
