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Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dairy farmers there were in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    The number of dairy farms in England from 2011 to 2015 is shown below along with the number of cows in the dairy herd on these farms. The source of cattle population data is the administrative Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data.

    Year

    Number of dairy farms(a)

    Number of cows in the dairy herd

    2011

    9 041

    1 112 459

    2012

    8 663

    1 104 676

    2013

    8 342

    1 098 610

    2014

    8 092

    1 128 548

    2015

    7 982

    1 148 089

    (a) Sourced from Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Defined as the number of holdings with more than 10 female dairy cows over 2 years old in the milking herd (i.e. with offspring)

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who have been subject to a deportation order are not eligible to claim benefits.

    Damian Hinds

    We receive regular returns from data-matching. These identify cases where benefit is in payment in respect of an individual that Home Office data suggests no longer has legal basis to remain in the UK.

    When we receive this information we review the case to establish the up-to-date position. Where the claimant appears to have no legitimate call on public funds we suspend benefit and write to the claimant telling them we will close their case unless they provide further information that establishes entitlement. If no such information is provided, we end their benefit claim.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many replies to constituent correspondence from hon. Members her Department sent by (a) email and (b) letter in each of the last three years; and what the cost of using each method was in each such year.

    Karen Bradley

    The systems used to manage correspondence received from hon. Members do not record whether the response has been sent by email or letter; we are therefore unable to provide the requested breakdown or associated costs.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much revenue accrues to the public purse for payments received for semen collection licences.

    George Eustice

    The information will be placed in the House Library.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the back-to-work support which is available for people with mental health problems.

    Alistair Burt

    We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments through the Work and Health Unit. Over the next three years the Work and Health Unit are investing over £43 million in a range of voluntary mental health and employment trials to test what works in improving both the employment and health outcomes for people with common mental health problems. The Work and Health Unit will also invest around £115 million in testing wider support to improve health and employment outcomes. Additionally, The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme has already helped over 100,000 people to move off sick pay and benefits, with nearly 25,000 moving off in 2014/15.

    In each of the last five years the Department of Health has not provided specific central programme funding for back-to-work support for people with mental health problems.

  • Baroness Jolly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Baroness Jolly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jolly on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reserve police officers of the Royal Navy Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

    Earl Howe

    The number of Regular personnel in the Royal Navy Police (RNP) as at 1 April 2015 was 250 Royal Navy and 50 Royal Marines. The Maritime Reserve does not have a Police branch.

    The forecast of Regular personnel in the RNP is as follows:

    April 2016

    April 2017

    April 2018

    April 2019

    April 2020

    Royal Navy

    250

    250

    250

    250

    240

    Royal Marines

    50

    50

    50

    50

    50

    Notes:

    1. Figures from April 2016 are estimates, calculated using 1 April 2015 information, of the future trained regular strength of RNP. Estimates are re-calculated annually using the latest information and therefore may change in future years.

    2. All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in five rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias.

    The RNP does not currently recruit from direct entrants; personnel transfer from within the Naval Service. There is a future programme to recruit from a mixture of internal moves and direct entrants; however, it is not possible at present to supply forecast figures for this.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans for eligible parents to be able to open accounts as soon as tax-free childcare is launched.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government confirmed that Tax-Free Childcare will be launched from early 2017. To roll out the scheme in a safe and managed way, we will be gradually opening up the scheme to all eligible parents within 12 months.

    We will provide further details of the exact plans for this rollout in due course, in good time for parents and childcare providers to prepare for the introduction of Tax-Free Childcare.

    Once the scheme is fully open, we estimate that around 2 million families will be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare. And we estimate that up to 1 million families may take up the scheme in ‘steady state’.

    The Tax-Free Childcare system will be extensively tested with users before the scheme is launched.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons appointments were cancelled by Maximus Health and Human Services Ltd in each local authority area in each month of that organisation’s contract with his Department.

    Priti Patel

    Work capability assessments are delivered by Centre for Health Disability Assessments (CHDA is a MAXIMUS company).

    Nationally, in the quarter from January 2016 to March 2016, the number of completed assessments was 417,143 and the number of cancellations was 10,143.

    Information is not available by local authority area.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is technically possible for Trident missiles to be used by the UK without US knowledge and agreement.

    Michael Fallon

    Yes. The UK’s nuclear deterrent is fully operationally independent.

  • Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will review the mechanism by which service personnel are awarded payment in the event of life-changing injuries during their time in the armed forces to take greater account of the effect of those injuries on those people.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides no-fault compensation for members of the Armed Forces where illness, injury or death is caused by service from 6 April 2005 under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and, before that date, under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS).

    Any disablement, injury or illness, including those which are life-changing, can be claimed with awards made where the claimed disorder is accepted as being due to Service. Lay and scheme medical advisers work together and decisions are evidence based, reflecting the individual case facts, contemporary medical understanding of causation and the relevant law.

    Awards under the WPS depend on the assessed level of disablement with the method of assessment set out in the legislation and expressed as a percentage. The AFCS is tariff based. The legislation includes nine tables of injuries and disorders with associated tariff levels, relevant to military service. A lump sum is paid for pain and suffering taking account of the likely progress of the condition over the person’s lifetime. There are 15 tariff levels and, for the more serious disorders and injuries, a guaranteed income payment to cover reduced civilian employability is paid, in addition, from the date of claim for life.

    Service personnel may make a claim for damages under common law for Service after May 1987 and where the MOD has a proven legal liability, compensation is paid. The amount of compensation is determined by common law principles which, broadly, take into account an individual’s pain and suffering, degree of injury, past and future financial losses and level of care required. Compensation can therefore vary depending on an individual’s circumstances.

    The MOD has no plans to undertake a review of this mechanism, however the AFCS tariff levels and payment awards are currently being reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose.