Category: Speeches

Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Andrea Leadsom

In the period January 2014 to end January 2016 overtime payments made totalled (to the nearest £k) broken down as shown below:-

2013-14	£k	2014-15	£k	2015-16	£k
January	43	April	63	April	26
February	52	May	85	May	34
March	58	June	10	June	32
		July	60	July	34
		August	38	August	22
		September	30	September	21
		October	32	October	23
		November	47	November	32
		December	59	December	37
		January	36	January	28
		February	49
		March	49

01/01/2023

Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessment reports conducted by contractors for Scottish claimants of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments were returned by his Department as not being of a sufficient standard to enable a decision to be made in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.

Priti Patel

In each of the last four quarters for which information is available, less than 0.1% of all Employment and Support Allowance and less than 0.1% of all Personal Independent Payment assessment reports completed in Scotland have been returned to the provider for rework, meaning that the report has been deemed not fit for purpose by the Department.

01/01/2023
Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-04-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many stakeholders responded to his Department’s informal consultation on the transitional arrangements for the removal of the Climate Change Levy exemption for renewably sourced electricity.

Damian Hinds

At Autumn Statement 2015 it was announced that a transitional period for electricity suppliers to apply the Climate Change Levy exemption on renewably-sourced electricity generated before 1 August 2015 would end on 31 March 2018. This followed an informal consultation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which received 18 written responses. In addition to these responses, HMRC held a number of meetings with organisations affected by the change.

01/01/2023
Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on travel and accommodation for civil servants accompanying the Minister of State for Schools on official business since July 2014.

Nick Gibb

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at a disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-09-05.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent increases in Financial Services Compensation Scheme levies on small businesses.

Simon Kirby

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is an independent non-governmental body. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) determine the maximum level at which the FSCS levy is set, and how it should be apportioned across industry. The FSCS sets annual levies within these limits.

In March 2016 the Government and FCA published the Financial Advice Market Review which observed that the unpredictable nature of the FSCS levy can make it hard for independent financial advisors to plan effectively. It recommended a number of options regarding FSCS funding, which could make the levy more manageable for independent financial advisors. The FCA is currently reviewing FSCS funding and will publish a consultation later this year.

01/01/2023
Lucy Powell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school pupils in each year group in each (a) region and (b) local authority receive the pupil premium.

Edward Timpson

Information on the overall number of pupils eligible for the deprivation pupil premium in primary and secondary schools and the associated funding allocated is available in the school-level pupil premium allocations, which are published on the department’s website. Data for service child, looked after, and post-looked after pupil premium are also included, but are not broken down by school phase. Links to the data for each year since the pupil premium was introduced are provided below.[1] The information is available by region and local authority, but the pupil premium is not calculated by year group.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017 – click on ‘Pupil premium final allocations 2016 to 2017 by local authority area and region in England’

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations#history

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-funding-tables-2012-to-2013

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0070267/dsg-and-pupil-premium-allocations-for-2011-12

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01/01/2023
The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Strategic Defence and Security Review to be (1) completed, and (2) published.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Work on the Strategic Defence and Security Review is progressing well and we expect it to be completed and published by the end of the year.

01/01/2023
Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-11-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the relative competitiveness in terms of differentials in tax treatment of UK refiners and those importing petroleum products directly from European or international refiners and suppliers as opposed to internal imports in the UK.

Damian Hinds

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given by my Honourable Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 16 November (PQ 14896 and 14897).

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Afghan and (b) Pakistani government on reducing the influence of the Taliban in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) held a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2015, where they discussed reducing the influence of the Taleban on Afghanistan. The Prime Minister also spoke to President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif individually on the topic. Both President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif reiterated their commitment to an Afghan owned and led peace process as the only route to a stable and secure Afghanistan.

In September, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with the Afghan Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdullah Abdullah and discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Since August 2015, the Foreign Secretary has spoken with a number of senior Pakistani figures including: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar; former National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz; and Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.

I discussed the Taleban influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan with a number of senior interlocutors, including President Ghani, during my visit to Pakistan in September 2015 and my visit to Afghanistan in December 2015.

01/01/2023
Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24141, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of (a) unauthorised entries to military bases and (b) thefts or losses of classified material between 2014 and 2015.

Mark Lancaster

The apparent increase in incidents is attributed to security awareness programmes and a strengthened reporting regime. These have led to an increasing readiness to report even minor breaches and do not represent systematic failings in security protection.

01/01/2023