The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many equal pay cases were not taken forward after post-claim conciliation in each year since 2010.
Margot James
We are currently collating this information and will place this in the Libraries in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will work with insurers to ensure an accurate risk assessment is carried out on the threat to public health posed by toxins in flood water.
Rory Stewart
The ABI were closely involved in developing a code of practice for flood damaged buildings. This covers the repair of flood damaged buildings and sets standards for ensuring this kind of work is carried out safely and effectively including avoiding any increased risk to public health.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Equality (Language Analysis – Palestinian, Syrian and Kuwaiti Testing) Authorisation (No. 2) 2013, whether the Government plans to revise the existing three exceptions.
James Brokenshire
The Government has no current plans to revise the existing Equality Act exemptions relating to language analysis testing.
No further nationalities have been added to the Equality Act exemption authorisation since it was introduced in 2013.
A review on language analysis use was undertaken in 2011 and published in 2012.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/257177/language-analysis.pdf).
No further such review is presently planned. However, we do monitor the use of language analysis regularly to ensure it is used as effectively as possible and to identify new trends in nationality swapping.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department monitors implementation of price caps for agency staff.
Ben Gummer
Hourly price caps are one part of a series of tough financial controls we introduced last year to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff. NHS Improvement consulted on the price caps before they were introduced and, with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission, has been monitoring their implementation on a weekly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it illegal to disable a diesel particulate filter.
Mr John Hayes
It is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Regulation 61a(3)) to use on a road a vehicle which has been modified in such a way that it no longer complies with the air pollutant emissions standards it was designed to meet. Removal of a diesel particulate filter (DPF), from a vehicle used on the road, will invariably result in a contravention of the Regulations (making the vehicle unlawful to use on the road). The potential penalties are £1,000 for a car and £2,500 for a van, lorry or bus.
Under section 75 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is an offence to alter a vehicle in such a way that the use of the vehicle on a road would be unlawful. Thus both the vehicle user and the person disabling the DPF (if they knew or believed that the vehicle would be used on the road) could be found guilty of an offence under the Act.
The speech made by Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent Central, in the House of Commons on 28 November 2022.
Nazir Afzal has found institutional misogyny, racism and discrimination in the fire service. His report is based on the testimony of 2,000 members and contains 23 recommendations, including the introduction of body-worn video by firefighters, an historic review of complaints about racism, misogyny and bullying, and secure facilities for all women.
As the Minister said, the report comes after the death of Jaden Francois-Esprit, a trainee at Wembley fire station, in my constituency in the London Borough of Brent. Two years ago, Jaden took his own life, aged just 21. My condolences go out to his family and friends. Jaden was teased about every little thing, even the Caribbean food he brought in for lunch, and he made 16 requests to be transferred to another station. Nazir Afzal’s report said:
“Jaden’s position was not unique. We have spoken to others that are equally isolated and harbouring suicidal thoughts.”
I know some Government Members will accuse the report of being too woke or promoting wokery, but let me highlight some of the incidents. Female firefighters were found to have been groped and beaten, and had their helmets filled with urine and their clothes violated with semen. Some male firefighters who visited women’s homes for safety visits would go through drawers looking for underwear and sex toys. A black firefighter had a noose put on his locker, and a Muslim firefighter had bacon and sausages stuffed in his pockets and a terrorist hotline sign posted on his locker. If being more woke will stop this behaviour, then I think we are not woke enough.
As the chair of London Labour MPs, I spoke to London fire commissioner Andy Roe, and he is determined to sack every single firefighter who is misogynistic, racist or homophobic at work, and that sends a strong message. I need to know what strong message the Government will send. We cannot bring back Jaden, whose life was lost, but the Government can make sure that other young people, who are starting out on their career in the London Fire Brigade, are not met with the same experience, but with consideration and acceptance by a service that is alert and awake to bullying and discrimination.
The Government must lead the call for change and tackle structural and systemic discrimination in all our old institutions, and understand that being woke is a good thing. That would be a fitting legacy to Jaden.
Chris Philp
I completely agree with the hon. Lady that the behaviour and the incidents that she just enumerated that were uncovered by the report are completely unacceptable. They have no place in any modern public service, whether that is the fire service or anywhere else. I am sure the whole House will join her and me in condemning that sort of behaviour unreservedly.
I spoke to London fire commissioner Andy Roe on Friday to set out my strong feelings that this behaviour is totally unacceptable and needs to completely end. As the hon. Lady said, he has committed to implementing all 23 of the report’s recommendations, including, importantly, outsourcing the complaints service, so that complaints are dealt with externally to the London Fire Brigade, and going back and looking again at all the complaints made over the last five years, to make sure they have been properly investigated—clearly, in many cases they have not been. He committed to ensuring that anyone found guilty of the sort of behaviour that she outlined from the report will be removed from their position. As I say, the behaviour that has been uncovered is totally unacceptable, and I am sure the whole House will join in condemning it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on small businesses of changing Sunday trading laws.
Anna Soubry
Devolving the power to extend Sunday trading hours will enable local areas to determine the Sunday trading hours that best reflect the need of local people. There are many reasons why people will continue to choose small retailers. They offer a diverse range of products and services from convenient locations. This is perhaps why the convenience sector last year saw the opening of two new stores a day and growth in turnover of 5%.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to raise the issue of human rights during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2015.
Mr Hugo Swire
Ministers regularly engage China on human rights. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so during the UK-China Strategic Dialogue in Beijing in August, as did the Chancellor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr George Osborne) during his visit in September. Discussions during the State Visit will be broad and cover areas both where we agree and where we disagree.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he to promote the expansion of the turn-up-and-go scheme for disabled transport users throughout the rail network.
Claire Perry
The Association of Train Operating Companies launched a six month trial of turn up and go at 36 London stations in May this year. If the trial is successful they will consider whether the service can be made permanent at the trial stations and if it can be expanded further across the network.
The statement made by Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent Central, on Twitter on 27 October 2022.
I’ve written to Kemi Badenoch regarding her inaccurate comments in the House of Commons, in which she used parliamentary privilege to spread misinformation about Benjamin Cohen and Pink News. I’m calling on her to follow ministerial code and return to the chamber to correct the record.
