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  • 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 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many assessments for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) were carried out by an independent needs assessor in each year since 2009-10; what the average such award was in each of those years; and who was contracted to carry out each of those assessments in each of those years.

    Joseph Johnson

    Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are available to help pay the extra essential costs they may have whilst studying on an HE course as a direct result of their disability. The Government recently announced reforms to DSAs to ensure that the limited public funding available for DSAs is targeted in the best way and to achieve value for money, whilst ensuring those disabled students most in need continue to get the help they require. The changes also aim to ensure that Higher Education providers all properly adhere to their Equalities Act 2010 duties, for the benefit of all disabled students.

    All disabled higher education students who are eligible for DSAs are referred to an independent assessment centre so as to identify the type and level of support they require.

    Information in Table 1 sets out the number of study needs assessments carried out by independent assessment centres in England and Wales for English domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate higher education students applying for Student Finance England administered DSAs. Information for numbers of assessments carried out by each assessment centre is not held centrally. Information is not available at individual assessor level. Information for the period prior to 1 April 2011 is not held centrally.

    Table 2 sets out the average award of DSAs in each financial year. A list of currently accredited assessment centres is below.

    Government does not contract with assessment centres. Assessment centres who wish to work in this area are accredited through the DSA Quality Assurance Group, a not-for-profit membership organisation.

    Table 1 –

    Timeframe

    Number of assessments

    1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014

    34,355

    1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013

    32,410

    1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012

    35,073

    Source: DSA Quality Assurance Group management information. Information for the period 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 will be available in April 2016.

    Table 2 –

    Average DSA payments to full-time English domiciled students

    Academic years 2009/10 to 2013/14

    Academic year

    Average payment (£)

    2009/10

    2,110

    2010/11

    2,300

    2011/12

    2,350

    2012/13

    2,250

    2013/14

    2,230

    Source: SLC, Student Support for Higher Education in England

    Note: 2013/14 final figures are the latest available

    List of assessment centres in England and Wales

    AbilityNet DSA Assessment Centre

    Access 1st Assessment Centre

    Access Birmingham Assessment Centre

    Access Bristol Assessment Centre

    Access Central Ltd

    Access Centre Coventry

    Access Centre Ealing

    Access Centre Hereford

    Access Independence Ltd

    Access South West

    Access SUMMIT

    Access West of England

    Access@SW15

    Action for Blind People Pan Disability Assessment Centre

    Aim Assessments

    Anglia Access Centre

    Assessment Centre Cardiff

    Assessment Centre Cardiff Metropolitan University

    Assessment Centre on Teesside

    ATOP Chester

    Bangor Access Centre

    Bradford Assessment Centre

    Bridgend Assessment Centre

    Broadbent & Co

    Cambridge Access Centre

    Carmarthenshire Access Centre

    Central London Assessment Services

    Cheltenham Assessment Centre

    Durham University Assessment Centre

    Exeter Access Centre

    Glyndwr University Assessment Centre

    Hertfordshire Access Centre

    Higher York Access Centre

    Hull Assessment Centre

    IONA – Kent and SE Assessment Centre

    Kent Assessors

    Kingston Assessment Services

    Lancaster University Assessment Centre

    Leeds Assessment Centre

    Leeds Metropolitan Disability Assessment Centre

    Leicester Assessment Centre

    Lincoln Assessment Centre

    Lincoln University Assessment Centre

    Loughborough Regional Assessment Centre

    Maritime Assessment Centre

    Midlands Assessment Centre

    Needs Assessment Centre

    Newport Assessment Centre

    North East Regional Assessment Centre

    North London Regional Assessment Centre

    Nottingham Trent University Access Centre

    Nottingham University Access Centre

    Open University Access Centre

    Oxford Access Centre

    Oxford University Assessment Centre

    Pennine Lancashire Access Centre

    Plymouth Assessment Centre

    Portsmouth Assessment Centre

    Reading Assessment Centre

    Regional Access Centre East London

    Sheffield Regional Assessment Centre

    South London Access Centre

    Southampton Assessment and Study Services

    Staffordshire Regional Access Centre

    Surrey Assessment Centre

    Sussex Regional Access Centre

    Swansea Assessment and Training Centre

    Taunton Assessment Centre

    Technical Assessment and Support Centre

    University Centre for Assessments Newcastle

    University of Derby Assessment Centre

    Wessex Needs Assessment Centre

    West London Assessment Centre

    Wolverhampton Assessment Centre

  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials of his Department are (a) responsible for external trade policy, (b) working on policy related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and (c) worked on policy related to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

    Anna Soubry

    There are 41 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. Of these 10 are primarily working on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was one of a number of trade negotiations being handled by a team of 5 BIS officials. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

  • 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 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of applicants for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) used supporting notes from (a) medical professionals connected to and (b) medical professionals not connected to their higher education institution to back up their application; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of people who claim DSA without the knowledge of their higher education institution.

    Joseph Johnson

    Students wishing to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) need to provide evidence of their disability to Student Finance England (SFE) in order to demonstrate their eligibility. Depending on their disability, this needs to come from a medical doctor or other suitably qualified professional. Information about whether this evidence is provided by someone connected to the students’ HE provider is not held centrally.

    Students are encouraged to speak to their institution’s disability adviser, to ensure they are receiving all the help that is available to them. However, students do not need to disclose their disability to their HE provider in order to apply for DSAs.

    All disabled higher education students who are eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances are referred to an independent assessment centre so as to identify the type and level of support they require.

    Students are free to choose which assessment centre they wish to attend. They can find a centre via the DSAs Quality Assurance Group’s website:

    http://www.dsa-qag.org.uk/students/find-an-assessment-centre

    “

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in employment earn (a) the national minimum wage rate which will apply from 1 April 2016 and (b) between that rate and one per cent above that rate.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in his Department’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.

    Matthew Hancock

    Departments publish details of Ministers meetings’ with external organisations routinely on www.Gov.uk.

    Details of meetings held during the period October – December 2015 will be published in due course.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2014 to Question 215333, what amount was paid to Transport for London in relation to the decision to raise Transport for London rail fares by the retail price index in January 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport compensated Transport for London (TfL) in full for the projected impact on their revenues of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s September 2014 announcement on regulated rail fares. The Department did this by paying TfL an additional £43 million, spread over two financial years (£7m in 2014/15, and £36m in 2015/16), by means of a variation to their core grant (the GLA transport grant, paid under section 101 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999). This followed consultation with HM Treasury and with the Greater London Authority.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which estate agents in London have been penalised for failing to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in each year since the introduction of those regulations; and what the level of the fine was in each such case.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is unable to provide any information which would identify its customers. The Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 gives HMRC a duty of confidentiality which applies to all information it holds in connection with its functions.

    In 2014-15 HMRC issued 677 penalties to the total value of £768,000. This is for all HMRC supervised businesses in the UK. The total includes estate agency businesses which HMRC supervised from 1 April 2014. This is three times the total value of penalties issued in 2013-14.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many estate agents in (a) England and Wales and (b) London have been penalised for failing to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is unable to provide any information which would identify its customers. The Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 gives HMRC a duty of confidentiality which applies to all information it holds in connection with its functions.

    In 2014-15 HMRC issued 677 penalties to the total value of £768,000. This is for all HMRC supervised businesses in the UK. The total includes estate agency businesses which HMRC supervised from 1 April 2014. This is three times the total value of penalties issued in 2013-14.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on stakeholders of the proposed changes to the Transactions in Securities rules.

    Mr David Gauke

    At Autumn Statement 2015, the Government announced a consultation on aspects of the Transaction in Securities rules, and published draft legislation shortly afterwards. A tax information and impact note setting out expected impacts was published on 9th December, and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-income-tax-and-capital-gains-tax-company-distributions.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on stakeholders of the proposed changes to entrepreneurial tax relief.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government announced at Autumn Statement 2015 that it will consider bringing forward legislation to amend the changes made by Finance Act 2015 to entrepreneurs’ relief, in order to support businesses by ensuring that the relief is available on certain genuine commercial transactions. Changes to taxation are announced by the Chancellor at the Budget and the effect of changes are published in a Tax Information and Impact Note.