Daily Report Monday, 8 February 2021 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 8 February 2021 and the information is correct at the time of publication (06:35 P.M., 08 February 2021). For the latest information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements, please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/ CONTENTS ANSWERS Spectacles: VAT ATTORNEY GENERAL Tobacco: Regulation BUSINESS, ENERGY AND HOME OFFICE INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Airguns CABINET OFFICE Animal Experiments: COP26 Coronavirus DEFENCE Asylum: EU Countries DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND Asylum: Napier Barracks SPORT Asylum: Penally Camp EDUCATION Asylum: Temporary ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND Accommodation RURAL AFFAIRS Au Pairs: Visas FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH British Nationality: AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Assessments HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE Catalytic Converters: Theft Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Children in Care: EU Nationals Health Services Crime Prevention Influenza Crime: Victim Support Loneliness: Health Schemes Members: Correspondence Crimes of Violence NHS: Protective Clothing Domestic Abuse: Victim Obesity: Health Services Support Schemes Older People Extradition: EU Countries Ophthalmic Services: Medical Immigrants: Employment Records Immigrants: Health Services Social Services: Protective Immigration: Afghanistan Clothing Immigration: Brexit Rents: Arrears Immigration: Married People Sleeping Rough: Veterans Immigration: Veterans Towns Fund Journalism: Arrests UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Marriage of Convenience Pilot Schemes Modern Slavery Act 2015 INTERNATIONAL TRADE Offences against Children Arms Trade: India Refugees: Resettlement Fossil Fuels: Finance Retail Trade: Abuse and Overseas Trade: Israel Violence Overseas Trade: Israeli Tuberculosis: Screening Settlements Visas Trade Agreements: Cameroon HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND Trade Agreements: Ghana LOCAL GOVERNMENT Trade Agreements: USA Affordable Housing: Insulation JUSTICE Building Safety Fund Courts: Coronavirus Buildings: Insulation Legal Aid Scheme: Contracts Evictions: Homelessness Ministry of Justice: Help to Buy Scheme: Apprentices Insulation Prison Sentences High Rise Flats: Slough Prisoner Escorts: Coronavirus Homelessness: Employment Prisoners on Remand: Remote Homelessness: Greater Hearings London Remote Hearings Homelessness: Temporary Remote Hearings: Prisoner Accommodation Escorts Housing: Insulation Retail Trade: Crimes of Independent Faith Violence Engagement Review Weddings: Coronavirus Leasehold: Service Charges NORTHERN IRELAND Local Government: Meetings Ports: Northern Ireland Ministry of Housing, TRANSPORT Communities and Local Airports: Quarantine Government: Apprentices Allan Cook Parish Councils: Grants Aviation: Quarantine Electric Vehicles: Scotland Events Industry: Insurance Eurostar: Coronavirus Extended Services: Finance Ferries: Repayments Free Zones: Scotland Freight: Irish Sea Fuels: Excise Duties High Speed 2 Railway Line Future Fund High Speed 2 Railway Line: Gift Aid: Scottish Borders Construction Gyms and Leisure: Hitachi Rail Europe: London Coronavirus North Eastern Railway Hospitality Industry: VAT Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: London Capital and Finance: EU Countries Insolvency Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Money: Coronavirus Working Hours Mortgages: Coronavirus Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries National Library of Wales: Finance Motorcycles: Training Self-employed: Coronavirus Railways: Exhaust Emissions Soft Drinks: Taxation Railways: Iron and Steel Stock Market: Internet Railways: Season Tickets Taxation Railways: Voucher Schemes Tourism: Coronavirus Railways: West Midlands Veterans: Government Regional Airports: Quarantine Assistance Renewable Transport Fuel War Widows: Pensions Obligation: Hydrogen Wholesale Trade: Coronavirus Taxis: EU Countries Local Authority Discretionary Taxis: International Driving Grants Fund Permits WALES Tourism: EU Countries UK Government Union Train Operating Companies: Capability Independent Coronavirus Review TREASURY WOMEN AND EQUALITIES Beer: Excise Duties Manufactured Goods: Business: Government Disability Assistance WORK AND PENSIONS Coronavirus Job Retention Budgeting Loans: Coronavirus Scheme Children: Maintenance Department for Work and State Retirement Pensions Pensions: Apprentices Universal Credit: Fines Employment: Coronavirus Universal Credit: Poverty Employment: Young People Winter Fuel Payments Jobcentres: Staff WRITTEN STATEMENTS Kickstart Scheme CABINET OFFICE Kickstart Scheme: Disability Local Elections Kickstart Scheme: Finance EDUCATION Kickstart Scheme: Midlands Capital Update Kickstart Scheme: Education Update Wolverhampton South West HOME OFFICE Kickstart Scheme: York PNC Update Kickstart Shceme: Staff Security Update Private Rented Housing: Housing Benefit WALES Restart Programme Contingencies Fund Advance Social Security Benefits: WORK AND PENSIONS Disability Plan for Jobs update 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 Prorogation: Legal Costs Kenny MacAskill: [148928] To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2021 to Question 143130, what the total legal costs were in the (a) Scottish Courts and (b) Supreme Court in respect of litigation relating to the prorogation of Parliament in 2019. Michael Ellis: The Government defended a petition for Judicial Review in relation to the prorogation of Parliament in 2019 raised by Joanna Cherry QC MP and others in (1) the Outer House in the Court of Session, (2) the Inner House of the Court of Session, and (3) the Supreme Court where it was joined with R (on the application of Miller) (Appellant) v The Prime Minister (Respondent). The Office of the Advocate General and Government Legal Department have determined that the total legal costs incurred by the Government in relation to the Cherry litigation in the Outer and Inner Houses of the Court of Session was £83,715 (net of VAT). The total legal costs incurred by the Government in the Supreme Court in relation to Cherry was £83,715 (net of VAT), and in relation to Miller was £142,590. These figures include Counsel fees, Government Legal Department litigator costs and court dues. The Government also incurred £30,000 in adverse costs in relation to the Cherry proceedings. It is not possible to attribute these costs between proceedings in the different courts. Taking of Hostages Act 1982: Prosecutions Tulip Siddiq: [147944] To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2021 to Question 143029 on Taking of Hostages Act 1982: Prosecutions, how many proceedings referred to her Office under article 2 of the Taking of Hostages Act 1982 by the Crown Prosecution Service her Office has consented to prosecute in the last 10 years. Michael Ellis: Our records indicate that the Law Officers have consented to prosecutions under the Taking of Hostages Act 1982 on four occasions in the last 10 years. BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Advent International: Cobham Sir Christopher Chope: [148678] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the legally binding undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when its purchase of Cobham was agreed in 2020 remain valid in respect of Cobham Mission Systems following the further sale of that business by Advent International to Eaton; and if he will make a statement. Paul Scully: The Government has been following closely the sale of Cobham Mission Systems to Eaton Corporation plc. The undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when it purchased Cobham in 2020 do not prevent the sale of the whole or parts of Cobham by Advent International. As a result of the sale of Cobham Mission Systems, Advent International is no longer bound by the undertakings in respect of Cobham Mission Systems. Any safeguards to address concerns arising from the sale of Cobham Mission Systems will be considered separately with the new owners. Bounce Back Loan Scheme Angus Brendan MacNeil: [147780] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to (a) extend the payback period for Bounce Back Loans for 6-12 months and (b) write-off a proportion of debt incurred under that scheme in response to the ongoing economic effects of the covid-19 outbreak. Paul Scully: The Government launched the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) to ensure that the smallest businesses could access loans of up to £50,000 to help businesses through this difficult period. Under BBLS no repayments are due from the borrower for the first 12 months of the loan, giving businesses the breathing space they need during this difficult time. In addition, the Government covers the first 12 months of interest payments charged to the business by the lender. We have always been clear that businesses are responsible for repaying any finance they take out. However, we recognise that some borrowers will benefit from flexibility for their repayments. That is why we announced the Pay As You Grow measures. Pay As You Grow was designed to provide Bounce Back Loan borrowers more time and flexibility over their repayments by giving them the option to: • Extend the length of the loan from six years to ten. • Make interest-only payments for six months, with the option to use this up to three times throughout