Daily Report Friday, 21 May 2021 CONTENTS
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Daily Report Friday, 21 May 2021 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 21 May 2021 and the information is correct at the time of publication (03:46 P.M., 21 May 2021). For the latest information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements, please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/ CONTENTS ANSWERS 6 Restart Grant Scheme: Travel BUSINESS, ENERGY AND Agents 16 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 6 Solar Events 16 Additional Restrictions Grant 6 Solar Power 17 Carbon Emissions 6 UK Seabed Resources: Deep Companies: Directors 6 Sea Mining 17 Companies: West Midlands 7 Unite: Annual Reports 18 Computers 7 CABINET OFFICE 19 Coronavirus: Vaccination 8 11 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance 19 Dismissal: Re-employment 9 Census: Advisory Services 19 Heating: Housing 10 Census: Students 19 Horizon Europe: Quantum Technology and Space Departmental Coordination 20 Technology 10 General Elections: Fraud 21 Housing: Construction 11 Government Departments: Night-time Economy: Correspondence 21 Coronavirus 11 Opinion Polls: Coronavirus 22 Nuclear Power: Coastal Areas 12 COP26 23 Parental Pay 12 UN Climate Conference 2021: Paternity Leave 14 Third Sector 23 Post Offices: Finance 14 DEFENCE 23 Post Offices: Rural Areas 14 Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement 23 Postal Services: Homelessness 15 Military Aircraft: Procurement 23 Public Houses: Coronavirus 15 DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT 24 Bingo 24 Camelot Group: Advertising 25 ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND Gambling 25 RURAL AFFAIRS 42 Internet: Safety 26 Agriculture and Food: Genetically Modified Journalism: Internet 27 Organisms 42 Museums and Galleries: Agriculture: Plums 42 Coronavirus 28 Agriculture: Seasonal Workers 43 National Lottery Distribution Fund 28 Agriculture: Subsidies 43 Newspaper Press: Social Agriculture: Weed Killers 44 Media 30 Crops and Food: Waste Social Media: Antisemitism 31 Disposal 44 Social Media: Harassment 31 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff 46 Social Media: Regulation 32 Environmental Land Sportsgrounds: Coronavirus 32 Management Scheme 47 Telecommunications: Codes of Fish: Supermarkets 47 Practice 33 Flood Control 48 Telecommunications: Infrastructure 34 Food: Waste Disposal 48 Voluntary Organisations: Hill Farming: Subsidies 49 Coronavirus 35 Inland Waterways: Pesticides 49 EDUCATION 36 Inland Waterways: Sewage 50 Adult Education: Finance 36 International Waters: Marine Apprentices: Greater London 37 Environment 51 Educational Institutions: Marine Environment: Plastics 51 Carbon Emissions 37 Organic Farming 52 National Curriculum Tests: Pesticides 52 Coronavirus 38 Pigs: Animal Welfare 53 Personal, Social, Health and Plastics: Companies 54 Economic Education: Gambling 39 Recycling 54 Primary Education: Standards 39 Roads: Litter 55 Primary Schools: Tree Planting: Finance 56 Assessments 40 Tree Planting: North of Pupil Exclusions 40 England 56 Schools: Coronavirus 41 FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE 57 Schools: Public Health 41 Afghanistan: Overseas Aid 57 Afghanistan: Peacekeeping HIV Infection: Disease Control 71 Operations 58 Medicines and Medical Bahrain: Political Prisoners 58 Devices Safety Independent China: Falun Gong 58 Review 71 Human Rights 59 Mental Health Services 72 Israel: Palestinians 59 Peripheral Arterial Disease 73 Israel: Violence 60 Pre-school Education: Coronavirus 73 Israeli Settlements 60 Prescription Drugs 73 Jerusalem: Religious Buildings 60 Shingles: Vaccination 74 Meir Kahane 61 Test and Trace Support Middle East: Security 61 Payment 74 Overseas Aid: Nutrition 62 Travel: Coronavirus 74 Overseas Aid: Research 62 HOME OFFICE 75 Oveseas Aid: Mortality Rates 63 Action Fraud: Finance 75 West Bank: Demolition 63 Asylum: Housing 75 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 64 Forced Marriage 76 [Subject Heading to be Immigration: EU Nationals 76 Assigned] 64 Lisa Smith 77 Asthma: Health Services 65 Visas: Married People 77 Bereavement Counselling 65 Visas: Turkey 77 Breast Cancer: Screening 66 Youth Mobility Scheme: Cancer: Havering 66 Coronavirus 78 Clinical Commissioning HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND Groups and Local LOCAL GOVERNMENT 78 Government: Finance 66 Building Safety Fund 78 Coronavirus: Disease Control 67 Building Safety Fund: Enfield 79 Coronavirus: Health Services 67 Buildings: Insulation 79 Coronavirus: Screening 67 Clarion Housing Group 79 Coronavirus: Sports 69 Council Tax Benefits: Private Coronavirus: Vaccination 69 Roads 81 Food Banks: Infant Foods 70 Freehold: Service Charges 81 Gender Recognition: Health Hate Crime: Asians 82 Services 70 High Rise Flats: Balconies 82 Health Services: Seasonal Workers 70 Housing Associations: Service Social Security Benefits: Charges 83 Appeals 98 Leasehold: Fire Prevention 83 Third Sector: Public Members: Correspondence 83 Expenditure 98 Planning: Areas of TRANSPORT 99 Outstanding Natural Beauty 84 Roads: Horse Riding 99 Private Rented Housing: Transport: Infrastructure 99 Housing Benefit 84 TREASURY 100 Refuges 85 Duty Free Allowances: Airports 100 Social Rented Housing: Hospitality Industry and Service Charges 85 Tourism: VAT 100 Thurrock Council: Finance 86 Housing: Fire Prevention 101 UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Patients: Transport 101 Northern Ireland 86 Pollution: Taxation 102 JUSTICE 87 Sailing Boats: VAT 102 Bedford Prison: Standards 87 Travel: Coronavirus 102 Deed Poll: LGBT People 87 UK Internal Trade: Northern Employment Tribunals Service 89 Ireland 103 Exeter Prison: Standards 89 VAT: Coronavirus 104 High Down Prison: Standards 89 Wholesale Trade: Non- Ministry of Justice: Interpreters 90 domestic Rates 104 National Association of WORK AND PENSIONS 106 Probation Officers: Public Carer's Allowance 106 Expenditure 92 Children: Maintenance 106 POA: Public Expenditure 93 Independent Case Examiner: Prison Governors Association: Finance 108 Public Expenditure 93 Kickstart Scheme 108 Prison Officers 93 Kickstart Scheme: Prison Officers: Pay 94 Bedfordshire 110 Prisons and Probation: Kickstart Scheme: Coronavirus 95 Employment 110 Prisons: Education 95 Kickstart Scheme: Sole Prisons: Recruitment 96 Traders 111 Remand in Custody 97 Personal Independence Sexual Offences: Disclosure of Payment: Applications 112 Information 98 Sign Language 112 Social Security Benefits: MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 115 Domestic Abuse 113 DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND Universal Credit: Coronavirus 113 SPORT 115 Arts Council: Music 115 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 BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Additional Restrictions Grant Sarah Olney: [1161] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department plans to extend the scope of Additional Restrictions Grants. Paul Scully: The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) continues to enable Local Authorities to put in place discretionary business support. Local Authorities are free to provide support that suits their local area including to support those businesses not required to close but which have had their trade severely affected by the restrictions and those businesses that fall outside the business rates system. Local Authorities can use their local expertise to target businesses to support in their local area. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £425m will be made available via The Additional Restrictions Grant, meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020. Carbon Emissions John Spellar: [981] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the UK's CO2 emissions were in (a) in total and (b) per capita in (i) 1990 and (ii) 2019. Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Over the last three decades, the UK has achieved record clean growth and has met its world-leading climate change commitments. The UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions were 809 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent (MtCO2e) in 1990 and decreased by 44% to 455Mt by 2019. Specifically for CO2, the figures were 608Mt in 1990 and 365Mt in 2019 – a 40% fall. At the same time, the UK’s population grew by 16% between 1990 and 2019. This implies an approximate fall of over 50% in territorial greenhouse gas emissions per person, from 14.1tCO2e to 6.8tCO2e per person. Carbon dioxide emissions per capita fell from 10.6Mt per person to 5.5Mt. Companies: Directors Dawn Butler: [1022] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent directors paying themselves dividends and forcing companies into administration to avoid consumer redress. Paul Scully: Under UK company law, directors may pay dividends only where a company has sufficient distributable reserves, based on the company’s realised profits minus any realised losses. In the event of insolvency, it is part of the administrator’s role to scrutinise payments made to shareholders in the period before the insolvency to identify any payments which may have been illegal. In such cases, the courts have wide powers to apply a variety of sanctions and remedies, including ordering the recovery of amounts from recipients and compensation orders against directors enforceable against their personal assets. The Government is currently consulting on proposals to increase transparency in how companies demonstrate that dividends are affordable, as part of the White Paper on Restoring