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  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on passenger safety of removing guards and introducing driver-controlled operation on Northern Rail services.

    Andrew Jones

    The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.

    This system has already been in safe use on almost a third of rail services in Great Britain for up to 30 years and we think that it can help to improve the service to passengers. By giving responsibility to the driver to operate the doors, the other staff on board the train could provide a better face-to-face service for passengers. Putting this in the wider context of Northern Rail services, unlike the last Northern franchise in 2004 which included limited plans to invest in services or meet demand, this new franchise will deliver more than 2,000 extra services each week, nearly a 40% increase in capacity and the complete removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacers by the end of 2019.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when each allocated route under the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will be launched.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Funding through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund is now available to the 11 successful bids. The start dates of the successful routes are a matter for the airlines. Flybe have announced start dates for their air services from Norwich to Exeter and Southampton to Lyon which will commence operations in March and May respectively. Funding will only be paid to airlines upon the service being provided.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of BME young people in university education.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Prime Minister has a goal of increasing by 20% the number of BME students in higher education. In our new guidance to the Director of Fair Access, which we published on 11 February, we ask him to maximise the contribution of Access Agreements towards this ambition. Entry rates for 18 year olds in each ethnic group increased in 2015, reaching the highest recorded values for each group. Between 2009 and 2015, the entry rate for young people in the Black ethnic group increased by over 40 percent proportionally.

    Investment by the higher education sector through Access Agreements is expected to reach £746 million in 2016/17 up from £404 million in 2009/10.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases were being dealt with by his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    Since the 1 April 2015 Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit received 2,800 referrals for investigation and 3,150 investigations were completed (including cases received prior to 1 April 2015).

    Note:

    1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed within his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit.

    Priti Patel

    Child Maintenance Group currently has 33.01 full-time equivalent staff working within the Financial Investigations Unit.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid in (a) child tax credits and (b) child benefit for children within the European Economic Area outside the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of such payments of proposed reforms to the payment of those benefits to such children under the terms of the renegotiation proposed by the European Council.

    Damian Hinds

    The information is not available in the form requested.

    The Government’s new settlement means that EU nationals whose children live abroad will ultimately receive Child Benefit at a rate that reflects the conditions – including the standard of living and child benefit paid – of the country where their child lives. This will restore fairness to the system. Meanwhile, Child Tax Credit is being phased out, and we do not have to pay the new Universal Credit for children living in other countries. That means as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, the only benefit we will pay for children living in other Member States will be the indexed rate of Child Benefit.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children live in households affected by the under-occupancy penalty in (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK; and what the average reduction in housing benefit award was for each such household.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested regarding how many children live in households affected by the under-occupation penalty in Merseyside and the United Kingdom is published and available at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    The information requested regarding the average reduction in the housing benefit award for each such household is not available; but information is available for the weekly amount of spare room reduction amount (in bands) and is published at the link below:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for universal credit were paid within 42 days of a claim being made in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

    Priti Patel

    The information you have requested is currently not available.

    The department does not hold information on time taken to make a payment for jobseeker’s allowance, or employment and support allowance.

    Additional breakdowns will be included in the Universal Credit official statistics as quality assurance of data from the Universal Credit systems progresses during 2016.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance were paid within 10 days of a claim being made in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

    Priti Patel

    The information you have requested is currently not available.

    The department does not hold information on time taken to make a payment for jobseeker’s allowance, or employment and support allowance.

    Additional breakdowns will be included in the Universal Credit official statistics as quality assurance of data from the Universal Credit systems progresses during 2016.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been placed in (a) the support group and (b) the work-related activity group with a prognosis statement of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months, (v) two years and (iv) longer than two years since the introduction of employment and support allowance.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is shown in the table below.

    Prognosis

    Support Group

    Work Related Activity Group

    All

    2,121,500

    1,564,500

    3 months

    225,400

    344,900

    6 months

    475,900

    334,000

    12 months

    339,700

    226,900

    18 months

    272,600

    152,600

    Not for 2 years

    120,500

    131,300

    Not in longer term

    545,100

    257,400