It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has not reduced the number of staff conducting roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries between 2016 and 2019.

The DVSA targets serious and serially non-compliant operators and drivers to protect British road users from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse toward shop staff can have.

That is why the National Retail Crime Steering Group brings together Government, the police, retailers and others to help ensure the response to these crimes, and wider related issues, is as robust as it can be. This includes guidance on reporting incidents to the police and the use of Impact Statements for Business which provide victims with a voice in the criminal justice process. The Home Office also provided £60,000 for a targeted communications campaign led by the Association of Convenience Stores to raise awareness.

In addition, we launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are currently analysing responses. We intend to publish the Government’s response in due course.

Thomas Cook schemes provide both Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit pensions.

Defined Contribution pensions are operated independently of Thomas Cook, with funds held separately. Pension pots will not be affected and will continue to be invested on behalf of the members. If there are unpaid pension contributions the Insolvency Service can make payments out of the National Insurance Fund within specified limits.

The Thomas Cook Defined Benefit pension schemes are protected by the Pension Protection Fund. These schemes are well funded and are able to continue to paying out pensions to their members. The Pension Protection Fund will assess whether it will need to take responsibility for payments in the future. Payments cannot be lower than the level of Pension Protection Fund compensation – which is 100% of pension for those currently above the scheme retirement age, and 90% subject to a cap for those who are younger, but this may be higher.

The trustees of the Defined Benefit pension schemes are in touch with members. The Pension Protection Fund has provided contact details if members have questions.

We are committed to ensuring that every trust has the support it requires, including the guidance and tools, to determine the right level and skill mix of staff at the right time.

There has been no specific assessment of National Health Service trusts' compliance with NHS Improvement guidance on safe staffing levels for children and young people’s wards.

However, systematic reviews of all relevant children’s services consider a broad range of aspects of care and include National Quality Board guidance on safe staffing. Any matters pertaining to workforce as a result of these reviews would be referred to the NHS England and NHS Improvement nursing clinical workforce team, who would then provide targeted support.

In addition, NHS trusts are required to specify the degree of their compliance with Developing Workforce Safeguards, which explains the principles behind safe staffing.

Developing Workforce Safeguards can be accessed via the following link:

https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/developing-workforce-safeguards/

In addition, appropriate staffing levels are a core element of the Care Quality Commission’s registration regime, which is underpinned by legislation. CQC inspectors assess against the key lines of enquiry on safe staffing in their framework.

The information requested is shown in the table below. Information for 2015 is not available due to system changes and identifying criteria.

We will never compromise on the safety of those in our care, and staff are trained to respond to emergency situations in a timely and appropriate manner. The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in custody. This includes recruiting an additional 4,366 prison officers between October 2016 and June 2019 and we are investing £100 million, on top of the £70 million we have already invested, to make our prisons safer.

Independent investigations of fatalities are undertaken by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman. HM Prison and Probation Service is absolutely committed to controlling any form of ignition sources and combustible materials in prisons.

The operational management of the franchise will be a matter for the operator, First Trenitalia West Coast, who can be contacted via First Group (https://www.firstgroupplc.com/)

HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter reflects our ambition to see an improved gender balance in the financial services industry. Charter signatories have committed to implement strategic actions to improve their gender balance at a senior level.

To date, over 350 financial services firms have signed the Charter, covering over 800,000 people. Of these, around two thirds of signatories have headquarters in London and around one third have headquarters elsewhere in the UK.

We only hold information on the location of each signatory’s headquarters and so we are unable to provide an estimate of how many workers in each area are covered by the Charter. For example, some of the signatory organisations headquartered in London will have locations in other areas of the country. Of the over 1 million people employed in the financial and insurance sector in the UK, 63% work outside London.

Our second annual review of the Women in Finance Charter was published on 14 March 2019 and demonstrated that 72% of signatories had increased the proportion of women in senior management over that period. Firms who have been signed up for two years made more progress in the second year than in the first. We are in the process of gathering data for the third annual review which I hope will show further progress.

Bullying and harassment are never acceptable in any National Health Service workplace, and the wellbeing of staff is paramount to the provision of safe patient care. All NHS organisations have clear policies in place to deal with reports of harassment and bullying. The Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, who are now in place across all NHS trusts in England provide a safe place where staff can discuss their concerns about both practice and behaviours in the NHS.

As part of its inspection of individual providers and services, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carries out an assessment of whether providers have a strong emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of staff. This takes place under the Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE) ‘well-led’ framework, as an important influence on the culture of the organisation and the quality of care delivered.

Employers are responsible for protecting their staff from sexual harassment by members of the public or other staff members. Sexual harassment, a form of unlawful discrimination, should not be tolerated under any circumstances so staff who believe they have been subjected to it should report the incident(s). Employers should ensure they fully support these staff and work with them to ensure appropriate legal action is taken against perpetrators.

The NHS Social Partnership Forum, chaired by Departmental ministers, is working with National Health Service system leaders, NHS organisations, staff and unions, to encourage the leadership and culture change required to eradicate bullying and all forms of harassment. Now in its third year, one of the “call to action” priorities is tackling sexual harassment.

The interim NHS People Plan, published on 3 June 2019, committed to developing a new offer for staff, part of which will be how to create a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture, including a focus on tackling bullying and harassment. This is expected to be published, alongside the final NHS People Plan, later this year.

DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.

The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.

NEPT have contacted several large employers and trade bodies to identify a range of opportunities for Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs and the Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.

The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:

• Information advice and guidance.
• Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.
• Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.
• Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour
  market).
• Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised
  certification that will improve employability.
• Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or
  self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.
• On-site presentations to those affected.
• Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.

Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.

The information requested on the number of ex-employees who have been offered alternative employment opportunities is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.

The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.

NEPT have contacted several large employers and trade bodies to identify a range of opportunities for Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs and the Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.

The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:

• Information advice and guidance.
• Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.
• Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.
• Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour
  market).
• Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised
  certification that will improve employability.
• Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or
  self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.
• On-site presentations to those affected.
• Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.

Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.

The information requested on the number of ex-employees who have been offered alternative employment opportunities is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes information on the number of police officers in England and Wales as at 31 March and 30 September each year, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales