Daily Report Monday, 24 February 2020 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 24 February 2020 and the information is correct at the time of publication (06:56 P.M., 24 February 2020). For the latest information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements, please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/ CONTENTS ANSWERS 3 FOREIGN AND ATTORNEY GENERAL 3 COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 35 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 3 Assigned] 35 BUSINESS, ENERGY AND HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 40 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 5 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 40 Assigned] 5 HOME OFFICE 55 CABINET OFFICE 9 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 55 Assigned] 9 HOUSE OF COMMONS DEFENCE 11 COMMISSION 63 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 11 Assigned] 63 International Military Services: HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND Finance 13 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 64 DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND [Subject Heading to be SPORT 13 Assigned] 64 [Subject Heading to be Buildings: Fire Prevention 78 Assigned] 13 Buildings: Insulation 78 EDUCATION 21 High Rise Flats: Fires 79 [Subject Heading to be Youth Services: Finance 79 Assigned] 21 INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND DEVELOPMENT 80 RURAL AFFAIRS 29 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 80 Assigned] 29 Developing Countries: WALES 107 Education and Family [Subject Heading to be Planning 81 Assigned] 107 INTERNATIONAL TRADE 82 WORK AND PENSIONS 107 [Subject Heading to be [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 82 Assigned] 107 JUSTICE 86 WRITTEN STATEMENTS 117 [Subject Heading to be ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND Assigned] 86 RURAL AFFAIRS 117 Reoffenders: Sentencing 91 Response to consultation on Suspended Sentences 91 cleaner domestic burning of TRANSPORT 91 solid fuels and wood 117 [Subject Heading to be HOME OFFICE 119 Assigned] 91 Relaxation of licensing hours TREASURY 97 to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ) Day 119 [Subject Heading to be Assigned] 97 Notes: Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared. Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an oral question and has since been unstarred. ANSWERS ATTORNEY GENERAL [Subject Heading to be Assigned] Jane Hunt: [2009] To ask the Attorney General, what steps her Department is taking to (a) review and (b) reduce the backlog of cases in Leicestershire awaiting assessment by the CPS for more than 28 days. Michael Ellis: The Government is committed to swifter justice. In Leicestershire during 2019, the average number of calendar days between first submission of a case to the last decision made to charge was under 26 days. This includes cases where the police were required to submit further evidence prior to a decision to charge. The senior management of CPS East Midlands meet weekly to consider cases awaiting charge, prioritising the most sensitive and serious cases and ensuring Prosecutors have sufficient capacity to provide charging advice to police on a daily basis. At weekends, CPS Direct support CPS East Midlands by providing charging advice. Furthermore, Crown Advocates can be diverted from other work to complete charging cases as required. The national CPS recruitment campaign will increase prosecutorial capacity significantly. Work with the police to improve police file quality is ongoing, with the aim of reducing the number of submissions rejected at basic administrative triage and requiring action plans. Philip Davies: [526] To ask the Attorney General, whether there is a legislative basis for the 28-day limit on appealing an unduly lenient sentence meaning something other than 28 days. Michael Ellis: A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time. An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. Tracey Hanson emailed the Attorney General’s office, requesting a review of a potentially unduly lenient sentence. The email was received by my office at 8.41pm on the 28 th day and therefore was received after the close of court business. By the time my office received the email it was impossible to act on it and it was too late to file a referral with The Court of Appeal. Philip Davies: [527] To ask the Attorney General, what the basis was for his authority to refuse the application of Tracey Hanson in relation to a potentially unduly lenient sentence; and if he will make a statement. Michael Ellis: A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time. An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. Tracey Hanson emailed the Attorney General’s office, requesting a review of a potentially unduly lenient sentence. The email was received by my office at 8.41pm on the 28 th day and therefore was received after the close of court business. By the time my office received the email it was impossible to act on it and it was too late to file a referral with The Court of Appeal. Steve Reed: [757] To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions there have been under the Modern Slavery Act since 2015 for cases involving child victims. Michael Ellis: The CPS records all offences charged under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and within those, the offences that involve child abuse are flagged. Since the Act came into force and up to the end of September 2019, the CPS has prosecuted 59 Modern Slavery Act offences involving child abuse. Cases referred to the CPS by the police as modern slavery are often prosecuted under other legislation. The CPS has prosecuted 209 defendants for human trafficking offences involving child abuse, from 2015/16 to September 2019. There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings. BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY [Subject Heading to be Assigned] Mr Laurence Robertson: [1159] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of capacity of the UK manufacturing sector to produce electric heavy goods vehicles. Nadhim Zahawi: Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), showed the UK manufactured 78,270 commercial vehicles in 2019; 18,420 of these were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) manufactured by Leyland Trucks. Alongside industry, we have committed approximately £1 billion over 10 years up until 2023. With this funding, the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) will research, develop, and commercialise the next generation of low carbon technologies to keep the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovations. The Government continues to work alongside industry to unlock the significant opportunity to support the electrification of the HGV sector through the Faraday Battery Challenge and Driving the Electric Revolution. Ms Harriet Harman: [14935] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the number of households living in fuel poverty in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Southwark. Kwasi Kwarteng: Parliamentary constituency data can be found in table 5 of the Fuel Poverty Sub- regional tables at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty- data-2019. Data for Southwark can be found in table 2 of the same set of tables. Ms Harriet Harman: [14936] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she is taking to end household fuel poverty. Kwasi Kwarteng: Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term solution to tackle fuel poverty. The Energy Company Obligation, worth £640m per year, provides energy efficiency upgrades to low income and vulnerable households. Over 2 million households have received measures since the scheme began in 2013. Tenants living in energy inefficient properties are some of the most at risk of fuel poverty. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards now require landlords spend up to £3500 improving their properties to energy efficiency Band E before renting them out. In addition to support to improve energy efficiency the Warm Home Discount provides support to more than 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year through a £140 rebate. Over £2.7 billion has been provided by the scheme over the last nine years. Our 2020 Fuel Poverty Strategy will set out further detail around our future plans to tackle fuel poverty.