The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of tenants in private housing who have only sufficient funds to cover one week’s rent.
Brandon Lewis
The English Housing Survey provides data on private renters’ housing costs, income and savings but is not detailed enough to make an assessment of how many private renters only have sufficient funds to cover one week’s rent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what revenue the Government has received from the sale of government-owned assets in the Newcastle upon Tyne local authority area between 2010 and 2016.
Matthew Hancock
Since 2010, the Government has generated £1.8 billion in capital receipts and vacated over 2,000 individual properties. This includes over £600,000 raised from the sale of Government owned property in Newcastle upon Tyne between 2010 and 2016. Disposals of surplus property is improving Government’s estate management and releasing surplus land and property in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer, boosts growth and creates new homes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Decision Support Unit commissioned by NICE, Assessing technologies that are not cost-effective at zero price, published in July 2014, what progress has been made on the appraisal of combination medicines; and how policy for dealing with such medicines has changed as a result of that report.
Nicola Blackwood
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it is actively exploring with colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry what policy responses could be developed to deal with the issues that have been raised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether UK projects earmarked for EU funding in 2019-20 under the EU’s 2014-2020 budget cycle will continue to receive such funds should the UK formally leave the EU in 2019.
Mr David Gauke
The Treasury has provided a guarantee for multi-year funds that may carry over after exit where they meet UK priorities and value for money criteria.
The Treasury has also guaranteed all direct, competitively bid projects between UK organisations and the European Commission signed before we leave the EU, and the current level of direct payments to farmers until 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the cost of Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
Karen Bradley
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is funded through fees charged for disclosure certificates and from subscriptions to the DBS disclosure update service. DBS operates on a full cost recovery basis. There has not been a fee increase in four years and volunteers receive free checks.
The table below sets out the average time taken to process all three types of checks.
|
Timeframe |
Standard Disclosures |
Enhanced Disclosures |
Enhanced Disclosures with List Checks |
|
01st Nov 2010 to 31st Oct 2011 |
5.21 |
16.84 |
16.81 |
|
01st Nov 2011 to 31st Oct 2012 |
5.34 |
11.24 |
11.25 |
|
01st Nov 2012 to 31st Oct 2013 |
4.57 |
10.60 |
10.63 |
|
01st Nov 2013 to 31st Oct 2014 |
6.37 |
14.12 |
14.17 |
|
01st Nov 2014 to 31st Oct 2015 |
5.97 |
14.92 |
14.94 |
The fluctuations in processing times over the years relate to a number of factors, including changes in demand and demand forecasting, changes to IT systems and the performance of police forces for enhanced disclosures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of (a) the extent of differential treatment of Palestinian and Israeli child detainees by Israel and (b) whether that differential is consistent with Israelis international human rights obligations.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We remain concerned about the use of a dual court system whereby Palestinians, except East Jerusalem residents, are subject to the Israeli military court system, irrespective of the charge, whereas Israeli citizens are dealt with by the Israeli civil justice system. We are clear that Israel has legal obligations as an Occupying Power with respect to the Occupied Palestinian Territories under applicable international law. We regularly discuss with the Government of Israel implementation of those obligations and raise our serious concerns regarding such issues as the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of changes to maintenance grants on low-income students’ ability to afford prescription charges.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
An Equality Analysis of changes to the support package for full-time students in 2016/17 was published on the GOV.UK website on 3 December 2015. No specific assessment was made of prescription costs, but this reform provides more up-front support for living costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-02-29.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average yearly reduction in a household’s tax credit award was when repaying an overpayment from the previous financial year for each financial year since 2006.
Damian Hinds
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2016 to Question 31791, on employment and support allowance: inflammatory bowel disease, how many of those claimants started receiving employment and support allowance before 2010.
Priti Patel
The number of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants in August 2015 with Inflammatory Bowel Disease recorded as their main disabling condition, with a claim start date prior to 2010, in England is 340 and in Wales is 30.
Source: DWP 100% data.
Notes: