The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS received no funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) programme during the period specified.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will be affected by proposed changes to debt repayment arrangements under universal credit.
Justin Tomlinson
Analysis undertaken by DWP has identified a large number of variables that will affect debt repayments from individuals claiming Universal Credit.
This includes, but is not limited to; the number of people claiming Universal Credit, the level of Universal Credit award they receive, the amount of debt they have (across DWP, HMRC and Local Authorities), the approach for recovering debt from Universal Credit and the approach for recovering debt by deduction from earnings.
Considering this, it is likely that most Universal Credit claimants with existing debts or debt repayment arrangements will be affected to some degree. At present there is insufficient data to predict the effects of these variables accurately.
Given the scale of the change, the likely confidence interval for forecasts for any time after 2016-17 is too large to give a meaningful or indicative answer at this time.
However, as Universal Credit rolls out, DWP will continue to analyse all available data to give a wider view on any changes to debt repayment agreements that are being seen under Universal Credit.
In addition, DWP will continue to work with HMRC and Local Authorities in developing forecasting models to show the changes that people with debt will see as their benefit payments move to Universal Credit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to his Written Answer on 6 June (HL91), what, if any, is the specification for ermine robes with regard to the materials used, and whether there would be any impediment to clothiers, such as those in the Far East, providing robes for peers either for purchase or for hire.
Lord Laming
As set out in the Standing Orders of the House of Lords Relating to Public Business: “When Her Majesty comes publicly to the House, the Lords shall be attired in their robes or in such other dress as may be approved by Her Majesty”. A proposal for robes other than those presently used would be considered by the appropriate authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants have been (a) transferred, (b) seconded and (c) given cross-departmental roles with which Department’s since the recent changes to the machinery of government.
Rory Stewart
Since the recent changes to the machinery of government (18th July 2016) DFID has:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Sudanese government reports of attacks on Christians and proposals by the Sudanese government to demolish church property in the Bahri region of Khartoum.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan, including allegations of the destruction of churches, continues to be an area of concern for the UK. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum consistently raise it with the Government of Sudan as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue, most recently during the visit of a senior Sudanese delegation to London on 10 October. More widely, we continue to call on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005 within which religious freedom is enshrined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are currently on an NHS referral to treatment waiting list.
Jane Ellison
The latest referral to treatment waiting times published by NHS England on 8 October 2015 shows there were just over 3.3 million people waiting to start consultant-led treatment at the end of August 2015.
In 2013/14, there were 1.3 million more operations compared with 2009/10.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they give local authorities on (1) the minimum desirable frequency of waste collections for (a) recyclates, (b) food waste, and (c) other residual waste, and (2) the criteria that they should use when deciding such frequencies.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Decisions on collection arrangements and frequency are for each Local Authority to make, taking into account local circumstances including the practicalities, characteristics of the area, providing the service that local residents want, and the need to protect public health and the environment.
Defra has funded the Waste and Resources Action Programme to provide advice and support to Local Authorities on good practice for waste and recycling, and to help Local Authorities promote their services more effectively and make them convenient. We are also encouraging greater harmonisation of waste collection and recycling services across different local authority areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether those who have suffered the loss of a child at birth under the current litigation regime will still be able to claim compensation under a fixed recoverable costs regime.
Ben Gummer
The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of Fixed Recoverable Costs (FRC) for clinical negligence claims.
We can confirm there are no plans to limit the amount of damages awarded for clinical negligence claims and so parties will still be able to claim compensation under a FRC regime.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to new Ingeus advisers in advising clients with mental health issues; and what plans are in place to ensure all Ingeus advisers are given such training.
Priti Patel
The Department does not prescribe how providers delivering welfare to work provision train their staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the five times increase in the annual upfront fee charges for private hire operator licences by local authorities on small and self-employed operators.
Andrew Jones
Local licensing authorities can charge fees for private hire vehicle operator licences that recover the cost of administering the licensing system.
Renewing a licence every five years, rather than more frequently as may have been the case in the past, reduces a financial and administrative burden on many of the small and medium size enterprises that make up the private hire vehicle industry.