The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s policy is on funding for the Equitable Life Payment Scheme that has not been disbursed.
Harriett Baldwin
Payments under the scheme will continue to be made annually to With-Profits Annuitants for the duration of their annuities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27368, on what basis the Child Support Agency allows non-resident parents to self-categorise as self-employed for child maintenance purposes; whether the new Child Maintenance Service plans to adopt the HM Revenue and Customs definition of self-employed when considering the employment status of non-resident parents under the 2012 child maintenance scheme or to allow non-resident parents to self-categorise their own employment status; and if he will make a statement.
Priti Patel
For the older schemes of maintenance, income information is initially gathered from the parents themselves. As part of this initial conversation, they are asked whether they classify themselves as self-employed or not.
Calculation of their net income figure will always be based on the relevant taxation legislation for the nature of the employment, subject to any additional conditions imposed by Child Support legislation.
For the 2012 scheme, unlike the older schemes, the income used to calculate maintenance is a gross taxable earnings figure. Our primary mechanism for getting this information is direct from HM Revenue & Customs. As a gross figure is used, it does not matter whether they are employed or self-employed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis the equality analysis undertaken under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which showed that certain features of the new contract for doctors in training will disproportionately impact on women, would not amount to indirect discrimination as those impacts can be comfortably justified.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Equality Assessment refers to a number of important objectives the new contract pursues and explains how it delivers fairness for all junior doctors. The Government considers that the new contract is entirely consistent with the Equality Act 2010.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Herbert on 2016-05-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, what estimate he has made of the long-term reduction of trade from leaving the EU in each UK region.
Mr David Gauke
In April 2016 HM Treasury published analysis that showed that reduced access to the Single Market under each of the alternatives set out would have a negative impact on trade.
The analysis does not make any estimate of the impact on the long-term trade position in each UK region. HM Revenue and Customs Regional Trade Statistics on the value of trade in goods in each region are publically available through the UK Trade Info website. The value and percentage share of goods exports to the EU from each region are shown in the table below.
|
Region |
Value of goods exports to the EU in 2015 (billions) |
Value of goods exports to the EU as a share of total goods exports in 2015 |
|
North East |
£7.0 |
58% |
|
North West |
£11.6 |
47% |
|
Yorkshire & the Humber |
£7.8 |
47% |
|
West Midlands |
£12.0 |
42% |
|
East Midlands |
£8.7 |
45% |
|
East of England |
£11.4 |
54% |
|
London |
£12.7 |
39% |
|
South East |
£19.0 |
47% |
|
South West |
£9.7 |
64% |
|
Wales |
£5.0 |
41% |
|
Scotland |
£6.7 |
38% |
|
Northern Ireland |
£3.5 |
55% |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s (a) procedures and (b) protocols are for the placing of mental health patients in care homes.
Nicola Blackwood
A person who requires mental health treatment should have their needs assessed by a mental health professional who will then refer them for treatment in the least restrictive environment to meet their clinical needs and risk. For the majority of patients care and treatment will be provided while they are living in their own home.
If a person needs treatment which can only be provided in hospital or their level of risk is such that it can only be managed in a hospital then that treatment would be provided in a hospital, which is registered to provide that type of care. It is unlikely that a care home could provide care and treatment for a person who has been assessed as needing hospital treatment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of fiscal support for the offshore oil and gas sector on (a) employment and (b) pay rates in that sector since 2010-11.
Damian Hinds
The government is committed to maximising the benefits of the UK’s oil and gas resources for the UK economy – the oil and gas industry is the UK’s largest industrial investor, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, supplying a large portion of the UK’s primary energy needs and making a significant contribution to GDP.
The government has taken action as part of our plan to reform the fiscal regime to make it an attractive destination for investment and safeguard the long-term future of this vital national asset. In the March Budget, the government announced a £1.3 billion package of measures which are expected to deliver over £4 billion of additional investment, supporting jobs and supply chain opportunities, and increase production by 15% by 2019-20, the equivalent of 0.1% of GDP.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a statutory social tariff for broadband services.
Matt Hancock
We are committed to introducing a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) within this Parliament. The USO will give households and businesses the legal right to request a broadband connection with speeds of at least 10 Megabits, no matter where they live or work.
Ofcom are preparing advice and recommendations for Government on the design of the broadband USO, and we have asked them specifically to consider a social tariff to make sure it is affordable for all. Ofcom will report on its findings by the end of the year and we will consider them as part of our decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each gender work in his Department.
Mike Penning
The Department publishes diversity report which contains workforce data broken down by gender on an annual basis. The last published report for 2013/2014 can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-report-2013-to-2014
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings Ministers and civil servants in his Department have had with Ministers and civil servants in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the impact of the local government financial settlement on local arts and culture organisations and projects.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS and CLG Ministers and officials regularly discuss matters of shared interest including arts, culture and public libraries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people requiring wheelchair accessible homes in (a) Easington, (b) the North East and (c) England.
Brandon Lewis
The Government has published data on the housing need of older and disabled people in England to support local authorities in assessing likely need in their local area. This can be found at link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-guide-to-available-disability-data
It is for local authorities to determine specific needs in their local areas.