The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports he has received on which other countries plan to deploy troops in Libya.
Michael Fallon
We do not comment on other nations’ military planning activity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what weight she has given to the list of people allegedly implicated in the murder of Mr Alexander Litvinenko provided to her by Mrs Marina Litvenenko; and whether her Department has taken any action against those people.
Mr John Hayes
The Home Secretary has responded in writing to Mrs Litvinenko on 8 March 2016. Whilst this was private correspondence, it reflected the Home Secretary’s oral statement to Parliament on 21 January 2016 setting out the Government’s response to Mr Litvinenko’s death.
For security reasons the Government does not routinely comment on action taken in relation to specific individuals. A number of those listed are subject to some form of overt action, for example, the EU sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, on which the UK has led the way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new GP registrations there were in (a) Southampton City, (b) NHS West London, (c) NHS North Manchester and (d) West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group in 2015-16.
Alistair Burt
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
Number of patients registered in April 2015 versus April 2016:
|
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) |
Total Patients 1 April 2015 |
Total Patients 1 April 2016 |
Difference |
|
NHS North Manchester |
200,668 |
206,140 |
5,472 |
|
NHS Southampton |
270,636 |
276,414 |
5,778 |
|
NHS West London |
243,620 |
242,428 |
-1,192 |
|
NHS West Hampshire |
548,279 |
553,237 |
4,958 |
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
Notes:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the outcome of the Accelerated Access Review.
Nicola Blackwood
The Government expects to publish the review it commissioned on the independently chaired Accelerated Access Review this autumn. The Review team is currently considering publication dates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will review the effect on access to justice and protection of human rights of civil legal aid reforms introduced under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Sir Oliver Heald
We are committed to reviewing Parts 1 and 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 within three to five years of its implementation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on people with disabilities.
Justin Tomlinson
People with disabilities are entitled to an extra bedroom for non-resident overnight carers and disabled children who are unable to share with another child.
Since 2013, we have provided local authorities with £470 million in Discretionary Housing Payments funding. This has enabled local authorities to give additional support to claimants where appropriate. This includes £175 million specifically for those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy, of which £75 million is for those living in significantly adapted properties.
We will continue to provide additional support through Discretionary Housing Payments and have made a further £800 million in DHP funding available for the next 5 years of this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of housing wealth to supporting the income of pensioners.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government has created the foundation for saving for retirement via automatic enrolment and the State Pension reforms and given individuals the freedom to use their own savings and access other sources of income or capital in the way that best suits their needs. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that around 80% of pensioners hold some form of housing equity. However, people who might choose to access potential sources of income, such as equity release or flexible pension products, will need to give careful consideration to whether it best suits their needs and how it could affect their income and entitlement to welfare, both now and in the future.
That is why the government set up Pension Wise to provide information and guidance on how people can access their pension saving flexibly. Information is widely available in terms of how income and capital are treated in the means-tested benefits. Officials have held discussions with the equity release industry in May 2014 and February 2015 to explain the interactions between equity release and means tested benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of former care leavers living in unsuitable accommodation.
Edward Timpson
Ensuring that young people leaving care are able to access suitable accommodation is a priority for this Government. In 2015, 92% of care leavers aged 19-21 were in suitable accommodation. We have introduced measures to help ensure care leavers have access to suitable accommodation but we are determined to do more.
That is why, during the last Parliament, we introduced the ‘Staying Put’ duty, which requires local authorities to support young people to continue living with their former foster carers up to age 21.
Statutory guidance sets out the factors that local authorities must take into account when determining the suitability of accommodation for their children and young people. The guidance was strengthened in 2015 to make clear that bed and breakfast accommodation should only be used in exceptional circumstances and for no longer than 2 working days. Since 2014, Ofsted inspections have assessed whether local authorities are ensuring that care leavers have access to suitable accommodation.
Further measures to support care leavers to access suitable accommodation will be considered as part of the refreshed cross-Government care leaver strategy, to be launched later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24371, for what reasons there are no figures for the number of compliance checks the Maritime and Coastguard Agency carried out on vessels in the North Sea sulphur dioxide emission control area in 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Further to my answer of 29 January, the data provided refers to the specific fuel sampling and testing regime put into place by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in order to support compliance activity relating to the use of low sulphur fuel by ships. This sampling activity started on 1 January 2016 in line with a Europe-wide decision.
This sampling is supplementary to the normal Port State Control activity that is performed by MCA Marine Surveyors, the scope of which includes consideration of compliance with air pollution requirements.
In 2015 the MCA carried out 1068 inspections under Port State Control which includes the examination of documentation related to compliance with the North Sea sulphur emissions control area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Berry on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reform special educational needs and disability provision.
Edward Timpson
The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms which came into effect in September 2014 represent the biggest change to the SEND system in a generation. They are transforming the support available to children and young people with SEND by joining up services across education, health and social care and by focusing on positive outcomes for education, employment, housing, health and community participation.
Since September 2014, our reforms have seen the introduction of:
o published ‘local offers’ for each local area, setting out the SEND services that are available;
o new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for those with more complex needs – replacing statements of SEN and post-16 Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs);
o a new legal requirement on local authorities to take the views of families fully into account when deciding what provision to offer;
o new statutory protections for 16-25 year olds in further education – including the right to request the educational institution of their choice;
o new duties for health to deliver the agreed health elements of EHC plans;
o the option of a personal budget for families and young people with an EHC plan;
o a review of disagreement resolution arrangements; and
o new arrangements for supporting young offenders with SEND.