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  • Joanna  Cherry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Joanna Cherry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joanna Cherry on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the affordability of the child support system for people who are self-employed.

    Priti Patel

    Even after parents have separated they continue to have financial responsibility for their children. We believe that the calculation for Child Maintenance is reasonable and proportionate, being based on the level of the non-resident parent’s income, regardless of whether they are employed or self-employed.

    The formula for the Child Maintenance Calculation is based primarily on the non-resident parent’s gross taxable income, where possible using information derived from HMRC. The level of the calculation is intended to be an approximation of what the non-resident parent would spend if the child lived with them.

  • Kirsten  Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of children likely to be affected by the planned replacement of widowed parent’s allowance by bereavement allowance.

    Priti Patel

    Bereavement support payments will be introduced from April 2017 for new claimants only. Existing claimants of Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Allowance will remain on those benefits for the lifetime of their awards therefore there will be no impact on them or their families.

    Bereavement Support Payment is forecasted to cost the Department for Work and Pensions an extra £100m in the first three years. The full cost to the exchequer will be greater than this as, unlike its predecessors, Bereavement Support Payment will not be taxable.

    Further information on forecast expenditure is provided via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487612/outturn-and-forecast-autumn-statement-2015.xlsx

  • Kirsten  Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the annual saving which would be generated by the planned replacement of widowed parent’s allowance by bereavement allowance.

    Priti Patel

    Bereavement support payments will be introduced from April 2017 for new claimants only. Existing claimants of Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Allowance will remain on those benefits for the lifetime of their awards therefore there will be no impact on them or their families.

    Bereavement Support Payment is forecasted to cost the Department for Work and Pensions an extra £100m in the first three years. The full cost to the exchequer will be greater than this as, unlike its predecessors, Bereavement Support Payment will not be taxable.

    Further information on forecast expenditure is provided via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487612/outturn-and-forecast-autumn-statement-2015.xlsx

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35935, when he plans to publish the report of the review into the supported housing sector.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We expect to publish the review report shortly.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to involve providers in the review of supported housing.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The DWP and DCLG jointly commissioned evidence review has included extensive consultation with local authorities, supported accommodation commissioners, and all categories of supported housing providers, including charities, housing associations, voluntary organisations and others from the commercial sector.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the terms of reference of the forthcoming review on personal independence payments.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department has regular discussions with stakeholders on all aspects of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

    PIP is subject to two statutory, independent reports on the operation of assessments which determine ability to carry out daily living activities or mobility activities. The terms of reference for the second report, due to be published by April 2017, will be subject to the statutory criteria and will be published in due course.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to collect data on Government funding allocated to brain tumour research.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department does not routinely collect data on government funding for research in specific disease areas or conditions. However, information on spending on research into cancer, including research on brain tumours, is collected by the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a UK-wide partnership between the government, charity and industry which promotes co-operation in cancer research among the 22 member organisations.

    Information on all Research Council and Innovate UK research funding is published on the RCUK Gateway to Research (http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/).

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress has been made on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The thirteenth round of negotiations for the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place between 20 and 24 April in New York. The next negotiating round is due to take place in July. We are making progress and our ambition remains to reach a political agreement during the Obama presidency.

    The UK is working for an ambitious agreement that removes remaining tariffs between the EU and US, cuts the regulatory and bureaucratic barriers faced by our exporters without lowering our standards, and opens up opportunities for our businesses to compete for public procurement. We want a deal that is good for businesses of all sizes and for consumers.

    In addition to the potential £10 billion annual benefit to the UK, TTIP provides an opportunity for the EU and US to shape the rules and standards for the global business environment.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers of 25 May 2016 and 31 March 2016 to Questions 37757 and 31997, if he will publish data on referrals made by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in 2014-15.

    Nick Boles

    The table below shows the number of referrals (complaints) from the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) to relevant enforcement authorities for the 2014/15 financial year.

    Table 1: Referrals from the PWRH to each enforcement agencies, 2014/15

    2014/15

    HMRC

    3,510

    EAS

    800

    HSE

    260

    DEFRA

    90

    GLA

    50

    Notes

    1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

    2. Calls can be referred to more than one agency so the sum does not amount to the total number of calls referred for the period.

    3. Calls referred to agencies include complaints, complex queries and calls where intelligence was passed to other agencies.

    4. Figures include referrals via all PWRH communication channels, including telephone calls, post and online complaints.

    5. These figures are based on final data submitted by BSS on closure at the end of March 2015. They may not reconcile with provisional data provided while the old helpline was operational.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers environmental health officers have to assess excessive noise from residential and commercial properties on a street level.

    Rory Stewart

    Local authorities have a range of powers available to them to assess excessive noise from residential and commercial properties. These are set out in various pieces of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Noise Act 1996.