Every parliamentary written question tabled by Gregory Campbell this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 701–720 of 772 · this parliament
Whether he plans to publish guidance on the introduction of the EU General Product Safety Regulations.
Guidance for businesses on the new General Product Safety Regulation was published last week on 3rd December and has been shared with the business community in Great Britain and Northern Ireland through existing channels. My officials will keep the guidance under review to ensure we are supporting businesses to trade freely across the UK.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 17511 on Living Wage: Part-time Employment, when he plans to publish that Impact Assessment.
The Government publishes an Impact Assessment each year alongside the legislation that implements the increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates. The legislation for the 2025 rates is expected to be laid in Parliament early in the new year, with debates in both Houses expected in February or March, subject to Parliamentary timetable.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the impact of Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative on Northern Ireland in the last two years.
Innovate UK’s Small Business Research Initiative (now renamed to Contracts for Innovation) has published an evaluation demonstrating its impact, including:£788m awarded through SBRI competitions between 2008 and 2022Business applicants from NI made up approximately 3% of applicantsThe benefits to the businesses awarded the funding amount to 1.5 to 4 times the cost of public sector investment
Whether he plans to reduce the minimum age for bowel screening to 50 by the end of 2025.
NHS England is responsible for delivering the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme, including planning for the age extension in the programme from 60 down to 50 years old.The age extension for bowel screening is already underway. NHS England started in April 2021 with the 56-year-old cohort and, based on modelling and clinical advice, has planned to gradually reduce to the age of 50 years old by 2025. This has been done to ensure that screening centres could manage any required increase in colonoscopy capacity.
With reference to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 7797 on Prisons: Research, what (a) conclusions she has drawn and (b) changes she has made as a result of the Ipsos MORI research project on the retributive benefit of prison.
Ministry of Justice officials received research findings from Ipsos MORI in November this year and are currently considering the implications of the work. Officials will advise Ministers soon.Therefore, no conclusions have yet been drawn from these findings and we have not made any changes on the basis of the research project.
What guidance her Department has issued on the circumstances in which registered sex offenders can apply to change their name.
Registered sex offenders are required to notify their personal details to the police as an automatic consequence to a conviction or caution for a Schedule 3 offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. They must provide a record of (among other things) their name, address, date of birth, and national insurance number. They must do this annually or whenever their details change. Registered sex offenders must notify the police within three days of their using a new name. This includes names used online. The Home Secretary publishes guidance on Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act, which is the legislative framework for the police’s management of registered sex offenders: Guidance on part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As part of the King's Speech, the Government has committed to placing restrictions on registered sex offender's ability to change their names.
Pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to question 16452 Living Wage Living Wage, what the average number of hours worked by those in part-time employment and who paid the National Living Wage was in 2024 to date.
This will be included in the Impact Assessment that we plan to publish alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Living Wage in 2025.
If she will make an estimate of the number of electric vehicle charging points there will be in each year from 2025 to 2030.
The 2022 EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy (UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy - GOV.UK) set out forecasts of consumer demand for public chargepoints. These projections indicated that between 280,000 and 720,000 might be needed by 2030. As of the 1 November there were over 71,000 public charging devices in the UK (Developing faster indicators of transport activity - GOV.UK). Between October 2023 and October 2024 the number of public charging devices grew by 42%.
With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance Contributions and (b) the VAT rate on the viability of businesses in the hospitality sector.
The Government recognises that the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the government took tough decisions on tax, spending and welfare to restore economic stability and invest in public services. A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November, outlining the impact on business, that can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl.VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The Government currently has no plans to introduce a different VAT rate for the hospitality sector.However, the Government keeps all taxes under review, including consideration of impacts.
What changes to procedures she has made following the investigation by law enforcement agencies into fraudulent transactions made on the Royal Mint website since 2022.
As outlined in The Royal Mint Trading Fund’s Annual Reports and Accounts for 2022-23, an external fraud incident occurred impacting The Royal Mint. A small number of fraudulent transactions were made on the Royal Mint’s website. The incident did not impact Royal Mint customers details and there was no risk to customer data. The Royal Mint continually make changes to their anti-fraud procedures, reflecting the dynamic nature of the external fraud landscape. As shareholder of The Royal Mint, HM Treasury are regularly updated on risk controls and have been supporting the strengthening of these processes and procedures.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to raise the (a) declaration of martial law in South Korea and (b) potential implications of that decision at the UN.
I issued a statement on 3 December expressing deep concern about the events in Seoul of 3 December. We welcome the decision made following a vote in the National Assembly to withdraw the martial law decree. South Korea is a proud democracy, and events have shown that their systems and processes seem able to resolve situations like this one. Our Embassy team in Seoul are monitoring developments. The UN has not made a statement regarding the situation.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much he plans to allocate to the World Bank Group International Development Association replenishment fund in the next five years.
On 27 November, the UK made a pledge of £1.98 billion to the 21st replenishment for the International Development Association (IDA21). This is a 40% increase on the UK's contribution to IDA20 - and will support IDA in tackling poverty and addressing the impacts of climate change. IDA21 runs between July 2025 and ends by June 2028. We will engage closely with partners to identify policy and financing needs for future replenishments.
How many hotels are being used for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland; and if she will make an estimate of the number of hotels that will be required by 31 December 2025.
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, data published quarterly on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office keeps its accommodation estate under constant review.
Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on (a) breaches of a broadcasting licence and (b) other matters raised in the report by Ofcom entitled Annual Report on the BBC 2023-2024, published on 29 November 2024.
The BBC has a duty to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. We want it to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see and hear themselves reflected as part of our national story.Ofcom, the BBC’s independent regulator, is required to prepare and publish an Operating Framework for the BBC, which must contain provisions to secure the effective regulation of the activities of the BBC as set out by the Charter and Framework Agreement. It is for Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting these obligations.The Government welcomes Ofcom’s reports into the BBC’s performance in 2023/24, and notes its findings.Ministers regularly meet with the BBC’s leadership, and as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond and in doing so, how it best delivers for the whole country.
What benefits would a successful applicant for Pension Credit potentially be eligible for in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.
In addition to the Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit provides access to a number of other benefits and support including: o help with rent via Housing Benefit;o a Council Tax reduction;o Cold Weather Payments and other help from the Social Fund including help with funeral costs;o help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs;o help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme; ando a free TV licence for those over 75. We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland). Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of stopped vehicle detection technology on motorways.
We recognise the importance of technology working to support our road users and that is why the Department commissioned the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to undertake an independent review of the effectiveness of technology on smart motorways, including stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology. In 2023 the ORR confirmed that SVD is meeting performance requirements for detection rate, detection time, and false detection. The ORR will continue to monitor stopped vehicle detection performance closely and will report next in Spring 2025.
Whether she plans further publicity to inform pensioners of the closing date for applications for Pension Credit.
The Department’s campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running across Great Britain since September. The latest phase of the campaign, which launched on 8 November, is aimed at friends and family - especially adult children of eligible pensioners - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens. We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland). Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.
Whether recipients who have not been suspected of benefit fraudulent activity will be subject to having their personal bank account details scrutinised.
Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and, since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been incorrectly paid to those not entitled. The DWP is determined to reduce those levels. The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The proposed new power instead helps verify benefit eligibility, using very limited information from banks and financial institutions. As set out by the National Audit Office, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments. EVM will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. The data will only be sent to DWP if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department. The information gathered will help DWP identify incorrect payments, prevent debts from accruing for the claimant and help identify where there may be fraudulent activity. No benefit entitlement decision will be made solely because of the data obtained under EVM and a final decision on benefit entitlement will always involve a human agent. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.
Whether she plans to run an Invitation to Claim campaign to enable more senior citizens to claim Pension Credit before 21 December 2024.
The Department’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ initiative was launched on 30 October. Since then, we have written to around 120,000 pensioner households across Great Britain who are in receipt of Housing Benefit but not Pension Credit. The letter and accompanying leaflet urge these households to claim Pension Credit by the 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated Pension Credit claim and qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. The Department’s broader communications campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running since September. The latest phase of the campaign is targeting friends and family - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens. Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.
What reduction in fraud and error in the benefit system she plans to achieve by the end of 2025.
At Autumn Budget, the OBR updated their forecasts. This shows the impact of the Department’s plans to reduce fraud and error levels across the scorecard period. In addition to this, the Department provides annual updates on the effectiveness of their plans through the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, where the latest UC forecast and outturn position for the financial year is published. DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK. Whilst we have published forecasts in the past, they have been superseded and the latest forecast is not in the public domain.